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riridontneedya · 3 years

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IMPERIUM✨

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Any house Reader, Harry Potter x

Wordcount: 4,210

Warnings: SMUT, ANGST dom ,sub, daddy ,oral, teasing ,praise, spitting , chocking etc run of the mill smut.

A/N : Well the time has come I've finally given in.. I say finally didn't take much conviction lol. Anyway in this universe Dumbledore is still very much alive and no-one tried to kill one another so all is well. As always enjoy and let me know what you think xx

Summary: Draco and y/n battle it out for the new position as headmaster but what happens when they are made to work alongside one another

“Ladies and gentlemen, if I may have your attention please” spoke Dumbledore. He arose from his chair gently tapping his knife against his chalice in order to garner the crowds attention . Shortly everyones eyes were fixated on him. He cleared his throat and began. “I would like to thank each and everyone one of you for coming out tonight … as we all know its been a tough decision for me to step down, however! .I have no fear as I know the school will be in the safest of hands. I hand picked these two myself and in-fact trust them with my life. I know they have been working tirelessly day in and out to ensure not only my trust .. but all members of committee and most importantly our students. So with that being said when it is revealed in tomorrows assembly who the new headmaster and deputy are I want you both to know ,no matter the outcome I am so proud of you both, so let us raise a toast to our candidates . Y/N Y/M/N Y/L/N and Draco Lucius Malfoy”. With that Dumbledore rose his chalice high in the air smiling warmly at the pair. Everybody followed suit and raised their glasses high in celebration.

Draco and Y/N graciously thanked everyone as they showered them with words of praise and encouragement . Just then Y/n went to speak however her words were abruptly cut short by Astoria. As if an eager child unable to contain her excitement she blurted out. “ Draco and I are so grateful for all the support, so as a thank you after this we will be having refreshments and canapés at the Malfoy manor to celebrate his new position as headmaster .. all are welcome to join”. ‘Headmaster .. oh my how incredibly presumptuous” Y/N chuckled into her drink. “Excuse me” squeaked Astoria, she spun around rapidly locking eyes with Y/n. Y/n folded her arms across her chest and began “I do believe you heard me Astoria .. you said headmaster and thats yet to be revealed so for you to address Draco as said headmaster is well.. presumptuous”. Astorias tongue prodded the inside of her cheek, you could tell by the hue of red in her face she was infuriated but trying to find the words without imploding.

“Well , I just know he will ok so yeah just know that”, spat Astoria in a feeble attempt to shake off Y/ns rightful observation’. ‘Oh I see” snapped y/n “why didn't you say it was you sooner, Sybil , Sybil Trelawney teacher of divination . What are you doing here under the guise of Polyjuice potion? I mean you could’ve just come with your crystal ball and tea leaves and said he was the winner that way instead of this elaborate scheme don’t you think?” The laughter of fellow by standers suddenly erupted around the women. Astoria who now sup parsed hues of red was the shade of a beetroot , completely enraged prepared to snap she was interrupted by Dumbledore. “ NOW now girls quell your fiery natures, this is to be a peaceful night of celebrations”. The woman smiled coyly at Dumbledore. ‘My apologies Dumbledore” y/n chimed up. “We speak no more of it ok” Dumbledore smiled and gently patted the crown of y/ns head and proceeded to make his way back to his chair. Y/N turned and smiled gloatingly at Astoria. In response Astoria screwed her face up mockingly and fled no doubt to chastise Draco for not swooping in and defending her.

“Pwoarh Nice one mate” chuckled Fred as he held out his fist waiting for Y/n to bump it. Hahah stop it you she giggled. ‘Here , should we go to the manor after this for a laugh” sniggered George appearing alongside them. “Ha, I'm sure she’s revoked my invitation effective immediately” said Y/n, as she peered over to Astoria , she could see her flailing her arms around whilst Draco made no attempt to conceal his look of boredom in the conversation. “You know what lets .. Ive been dying to get a peek of the manor anyway what harm can it do”. ‘Cracking’ the twins harmonised in unison. The trio linked arms and jollied along.

Once arrived at the manor they soon found it to be every bit luxurious as they envisioned. The floors were marble and reflected the light of the enormous crystal chandeliers suspended from the ceiling. Each stair of the grand staircase was illuminated by candle light creating an auburn strip propelling up the length of the stairs. Every inch of the manor oozed with decadence. “Wow , its rather impressive” mused y/n . “You can say that again” chimed Fred as he helped himself to a glass of champagne , handing one over to y/n. They began to mingle and drink with the rest of the party guests it was an overall pleasant evening that was until Astoria appeared before Y/n. “Glad to see you could make it y/n” said Astoria with a constipated smile. She had made little to no effort to conceal her sarcastic tone.

Y/n had no interest in rehashing todays mini confrontation. Instead she pulled a sickly sweet smile and said “ Wouldn’t miss it for the world, thank you for your generous hospitality Ms Green grass.” Astorias face dropped “green green .. she muttered, haha don’t be silly you must get use to calling me Mrs Malfoy”. Now despite y/ns fondness to antagonise Astoria at any given opportunity she couldn’t help but see she was visibly hurt. She immediately began to fumble her words in a bid to preserve her feelings “honestly , Astoria I'm sorry I didn't know the extent of your relationship .. I apologise”. Astoria still hadn’t reacted she stood stationary bottom lip protruding sad and helpless like a lost puppy. Y/n gently squeezed Astorias forearm and began to say “ look you mustn't pay it any mind, Draco wouldn’t dare indulge in any small talk with me about family life .. so don’t stress it congratulations by the way”. Astoria looked up at her with eyes softened . Relief washed over Y/n as she could tell she was receptive to her. Y/n couldn’t help but wonder to herself why he hadn’t mentioned news as big as that , they had worked so closely over these months . To be fair on a good day if you hadn’t known Draco you wouldn’t even know he had a girlfriend let alone fiancé .. or wife ?

Astoria went to talk but just then none other than Draco emerged behind her . His hand came down onto her shoulder. sharply. “ thats enough now sweetheart , I think Daphne was looking for you actually”. There was a weird exchange of eye contact Astoria weakly smiled and left. It was now just y/n and Draco stood before one another. Draco broke the silence by clearing his throat “ Y/L/N, may I interest you in a nightcap in my office ,there are things Id appreciate to discuss before we venture into our new working relationship”. Although slightly bewildered she agreed as after all they were to work alongside one another and she’d rather it be somewhat harmonious than turbulent.

Y/n followed Draco across the length of the great hall and into a pair of grand double doors. The room was vast , books littered the walls as far as the eye could see and in the corner a fireplace roared. Draco stood behind his desk and motioned for y/n to take a seat opposite him. She smoothed the back of her dress and proceeded to make herself comfortable. Draco started pouring whiskey from the crystal decanter into a couple of whiskey tumblers. The burn of the fire whisky ignited as it glided down her throat. The combination of whiskey and champagne left Y/N beginning to feel somewhat merry, she hadn’t really noticed during the quiet sobering conversation with Astoria. ‘So what is it you have in mind Draco?”. His stormy grey eyes peered over at her from behind his glass. ‘Very well” he remarked and manoeuvred himself to Y/NS side of the desk .He perched himself on the edge legs akimbo and both his large veiny hands clasped around his whiskey glass. Y/n inhaled sharply as she averted her gaze from his legs splayed before her. Continuing he said “ As you're aware I have my plans about how Hogwarts should be run , I have a detailed strategy and I plan to implement it as soon as possible .. so what I'm really asking is are you with me or against me because I have no intention of being held back”.

Y/n blinked rapidly .. she was unable to process what he was saying , how could he be so smug thinking he had headmaster place secured already. “ Fuck sake Draco, ok first that wasn’t really posed as an option now was it ?, also enough with belief that its your divine right to just be appointed as headmaster! What makes you think that if you somehow are the headmaster I will just bend at your will? Pathetic!” She scoffed into her drink. Draco began to stifle a laugh “ Ah you do amuse me y/n”, look I'm willing to let you have some creative control … only if you prove to me how badly you so desire it”. His suggestive smile sent shivers up y/n. “Fuck you Malfoy” she hissed and jolted from her seat, once she reached the door she rattled the doorknob but to no avail the door wouldn’t budge. “Open it now” she demanded . Draco slowly sauntered towards her and leant across the door “hmm I thought you liked a challenge .. guess I was wrong this will be no fun after all ” Draco was indeed correct Y/n did enjoy a challenge and he’d be gravely mistaken if he thought she would let him get away without putting up a fight”.

Something switched in Y/n she turned to face Draco who was only inches away. He towered over her with his svelte frame encased in an all black suit. ‘Is this what you want Draco hmm” she said in a sultry tone whilst hooking her finger into his belt loop pulling him closer. You want me to beg ..or would you rather me on my knees .. better yet I could be a good girl and just bend over that desk right now and let you have your way if thats what you want” . Draco's breathing was now laboured within seconds he had pulled y/n in by the waist flipped her round having her pressed against the door, his body weight up against her and his hand holding her arms in place on the door. Y/n could feel the stiffness of his impressive length against her derrière. With a shallow gasp he breathed dangerously close to her ear “ be careful what you wish for ms Y/L/N , I don’t take too kindly to false promises as I always get what I want” . With that he tossed her around to face him .Y/n was now panting her body was burning in desire she wanted nothing more than to drop to her knees there and then. No wonder Astoria was attached to his hip.. if this was anything to go off.

Y/n bit her lip she felt dizzy with emotions . Draco stood before her with a devious smile , his hands soon intertwining at her waist and face buried in her décolleté littering it with kisses making his way down to her ample bosom. Y/n couldn’t help but throw her head back in delight eliciting a small moan. That only became fuel for Draco as he hoisted her leg from the floor and wrapped it around him. It was then Y/n felt a vibration from the opposite side of the door., as if someone had knocked from the outside . It was then followed by a mousy ‘ Dray , are you in there’. Draco paused for a moment grip still tight on y/n. “What is it I'm having a business meeting , i'll be out shortly don’t hover ”. It was clear who it was… the pair unraveled themselves from one another quickly smoothing out clothing and rejigging themselves. ‘Ok let us” let me stop you Draco, Y/n interrupted pressing her finger against his lips to audibly shush him. “ As if you think id let this happen you think you get to fuck me then you do as you please and I a dutiful little lap dog . Pfffft what a joke like it or not I'm going to be your boss so the only way I'm fucking you is in the more figurative sense , now you better hurry up don’t want to keep your fiancé waiting or Is it wife hmmm”. With a quick flick from her wand she sent the door swinging open and promptly stormed out.

The day had finally arrived the great hall of Hogwarts was alive with the buzz of chatter. The sizeable table at the forefront of the hall hosted all the teachers and most importantly both Draco and y/n. Dumbledore made his way to the podium, he produced his wand and placed it at the base of his neck it acted as a megaphone propelling his voice across the hall. “Everybody if I may have your attention please.” The chatter soon died down and everyone eagerly cast their eyes on him. “ Right, I shan’t keep you in suspense anymore , it is time to announce your new headmaster & deputy ’. Both Draco and y/n fidgeted in their seats after all these months of rivalry it had boiled down to this. “ Ladies and gentlemen, introducing Ms y/n y/l/n your new headmaster !” Boomed Dumbledore. .Y/N shrieked she was giddy with excitement she couldn’t believe she had actually done it. Everyone around her broke out into wild applause there were whistles and jeers laughter overall excitement. She was being ushered by the surrounding teachers to get up to the podium to make a speech. As she was making her way she cast eyes on Draco, there he stood paler than usual and unresponsive he was there physically but not mentally his carcass stood stationary unable to ingest the news he had just been fed.

The days rolled into weeks weeks rolled into months and y/n had almost completed a whole term at Hogwarts. All was going swimmingly and albeit begrudgingly Draco was in-fact a great support on her journey. It was the last night of term and y/n sat a her desk pondering over a mountain of papers. Y/n sighed and cradled her head in her hands , she was exhausted she spent all her time dedicated to the role that she forgot to take time out for herself. There was a knock at the door “Come in” she yelled out. Draco's head emerged around the door. ‘

Oh hey you , come in come in” ushering him to the desk. ‘Oh dear , sucks to be you , regretting the position of power now?” Draco chuckled menacingly. “Ha ha very funny” she uttered dryly. “Anyway , some of the other teachers are going out for drinks but I can see you are busy” said Draco eyeballing the mountains of paper. “Yeah.. I afraid I am , but you enjoy yourself Draco have a drink for me and i'll see you next term” she smiled warmly at him. Draco locked eyes on her , hands stuffed in his pocket he began to fidget. “In all honesty I'm not the fondest of all the people going .. also Id much rather not be at home ..before you laugh or probe why just don’t because I won’t go into it but I can’t bare to spend another moment longer with …her .. so umm yeah , I can help you out here then say you make it up to me buying me a drink later?”

Y/n smirked “You’re quite then enigma aren’t you Draco ..? He raised his eyebrows at her in acknowledgement. “Fine , id appreciate that very much but I am rather tired so if it's not beneath you I can offer you a drink at mine ..”. His eyes flickered up to meet hers , stifling a smile . “Id like that ..”he said softly , ‘well then , let's get to work” y/n smiled. Draco and y/n worked through the night it was filled with chatter and laughter they felt at ease with one another. Once they finished up the momentum continued on at y/ns house. Copious amounts of fire whiskey later they found themselves delving into deeper topics having more in-depth conversations and discovering more about one another. Draco's whole demeanour was very relaxed and this was foreign to y/n. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and tie loosened. ‘You know .. you're an alright person not that much of a pain in my arse surprisingly” Draco chuckled swigging another mouthful of whiskey. “Well thats rich” laughed y/n.

“Right well I've really enjoyed this but its getting late , I can barley keep my eyes open … earlier you mentioned you didn't want to go back so .. you're more than welcome to stay …. Only if you want”. Rattled by the kind gesture he smiled affectionately. Stumbling over his words “umm yeah , thank you y/n you’ve exceeded your generosity let me at least grab us coffee for the morning then. “Sounds like a plan , hopefully you won’t find me a pain in the arse again come morning ”. With a cackle Y/n got up from the couch and showed Draco to the spare room. Once at the door she began to wish him a goodnight. As he went to hug y/n his lips grazed her cheek. Y/n suddenly recoiled , a silence loomed over them as they gazed at one another the emotions of that night in Draco's office flooding back. Y/n could feel the heat surging in her cheeks so she hastily wished him a good night and scurried to her room. Once in the shelter of her room she let out a sigh of relief. She knew it was the right thing to do but my how she craved him.

Draco burst through the door making a beeline for Y/N. He took her into his arms and kissed her with an insatiable hunger. Backing her into the wall he began to rid her of her clothing . Y/n hands clambered at his chest to do same however he abruptly stopped her “ Oh no you don’t , you think I forgot about that little stint in my office huh ? Well I didn't and I've been awaiting the day I get to fuck you senseless Ms y/n … you control me all day and now its y turn to control you .. you will do everything I say do you understand” . Enthralled by his dominance Y/n nodded enthusiastically. “Sorry I didn't hear you “ roared Draco grabbing her face towards his. “Yes who”. “Yes Draco” she moaned . “You can do better than that dear yes who, i'll only ask you one more time or i'll have bent over my knee.. so what will it be?” . “Yes … daddy “ she muttered bashfully. “Thats my girl” he bellowed. He grabbed her and thrust her onto the bed , he unfastened his tie and instructed her to lift her hands above her head. Y/n did as commanded. He bound her wrists up and hooped them over the bed post. “Now, I'm going to have my way with you and you don’t get to touch me understood!” ‘Yes daddy y/n whimpered” “ahh what a good girl you are, ugh the things I'm going to do to you”. Y/ns eyes winded in desire, Draco shimmied y/ns shirt up and instructed her to bite down using it as a makeshift gag. He suddenly began to kiss her lower abdomen slowly sliding off her trousers.

Y/n titled her hips aiding him in taking them off. Draco's eyes lit up upon the discovery of her not wearing any undergarments “oh so you were anticipating me you filthy slut” Draco chuckled darkly’. He teased and taunted kissing her inner thighs only grazing her sex, this drove y/n crazy her body craved him inside her. Draco finally delicately licked a strip against her folds causing her body to crumble at the slightest of his touch. His warm moist tongue began frantically massaging her causing her to rive in ecstasy . His tongue began to vibrate excitedly against her clitoris sending shock waves through her entire body , she bucked her hips in excitement unable to keep her composure as Draco's tongue fixated on lapping up the one spot that drove her insane. Y/n was close he was relentless with his tongue against her swollen bud , just as she was about to finish Draco withdrew. Y/ns face fell in disgust just as she was about complain he plunged his fingers deep inside her ..pumping rhythmically y/ns juices coated his fingers . His other hand sloped around her neck , eventually this caused her to release all over his hand. Draco's pupils now engulfed his eyes …he was enthralled in pleasure watching her crumble for him . “ Aren’t you a good girl , snarled Draco “squirting for daddy , whilst I love it I don’t recall giving you permission to” .y/n squirmed overcome with pleasure unable to respond.

He unhooked her and brought her to her knees. He ripped her shirt from her mouth and produced his veiny throbbing cock dripping with pre cum. Y/n gasped in astonishment and eagerly attempted to take him all in her mouth bobbing her head enthusiastically until her jaw ached and eyes began to stream. He hurled his head back in pleasure as her tongue gently caressed his pulsating tip. “Ugh yeah just like that baby “ he muttered .

Without warning y/n sucked on the tip with vigour. Draco let out a ferocious moan whilst grabbing y/ns hair fashioning it into a ponytail attempting to make her glide her tongue down the rest of his shaft. He couldn’t have her do that for too long as he surely would finish in her mouth. “You filthy filthy girl “ he beamed as he pulled her off his cock . Rocking her head back spiting in her mouth. He brought yn to her feet and began kissing her deeply interlocking his tongue with hers , she yearned so badly to touch him to feel her skin against his. “ Get over here , I want you leant over this bed frame whilst I fuck you .. I'm going to cum on that pretty pussy then I'm going to put it back in understand!” Firmly instructed Draco . “Yes daddy” that’s my girl he cooed. Draco teasingly stroked his member against her entrance this sent shock waves through y/n causing her to gyrate in hopes he would slip in. Draco caught onto this and his hand came down harshly on her derrière .y/n let out a gasp. “Don’t be greedy now” he laughed tightening his makeshift restraints on her wrists. Relentless with his teasing it was a shock to y/n when Draco abruptly pushed into her. Y/n was in euphoria as was Draco as the warmth of her walls swaddled his manhood.

Draco slammed into y/n her body rattling with pleasure, just then Draco felt himself out to release .. so true to his word he instructed y/n to lay on her back so he could empty his contents onto her. He threw his head back in jubilation upon release. As he went to enter her again this time her was slower much more gentle taking y/n into his arms. “How do you want me to finish you off baby?,like this or I could use my fingers?” Y/n shuddered remembering the bliss she was in from his lengthy fingers so it would be a no brainer to opt for them “Fingers please daddy” she uttered softly.

He untangled himself from her stood up and offered his hand . Taking her across the room he sat down in-front of the floor length mirror instructing y/n to sit in between his legs. “If its fingers you was then its fingers you’ll get but your gonna have to watch me”. His large hand sloped up her neck tenderly chocking her whilst his other massaged at her slit . Y/n was still dripping from earlier so it was light work for him to imbed his fingers into her. Y/n couldn’t take it the combination of Draco's fierce unwavering gaze in the mirror and the sheer bliss she felt with her legs quaking she soon released decorating the mirror in-front her. “Ugh your amazing baby” he beamed kissing her forehead gracefully. “Here let's get you cleaned up and we can cuddle in bed”. “Oh my … I didn't peg you as a cuddling type Draco” y/n laughed gingerly attempting to get up her legs still trembling beneath her. “Shut up you” he scolded “when will you learn there’s a lot you still don’t know about me y/n”.

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heart-of-gold-outlaw · 3 years

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Welcome Home | Chapter Ten: Still Breathing

Finally—finally—, the day comes to rescue Sean. You honestly don’t know what to expect. Most of the others in camp aren’t much help, referring to Sean with a roll of their eyes and something along the lines of: “half a mind to let the bounty hunters keep him.”

They should be saying that about Micah, you think to yourself as you watch Charles and Arthur saddle their horses. Maybe then Dutch’ll kick him out.

Still, Sean is a bit of a wildcard to you. You won’t figure out what he’s really like until you meet him, and until then, you decide to keep an open mind. Worst case scenario? He’s Micah’s long-lost brother. Best case scenario? He’s… well. Maybe it’s best not to think about all the things he could be. Keep yourself on your toes.

You sit on a tree stump while the boys get ready. Taima is an absolute beauty of a horse, and you can tell by the way Charles dotes on her that she’s got a good life. Briefly, thoughts of having a horse of your own cross your mind. That appaloosa gelding is probably still for sale in Valentine. Maybe if you can get enough money, you can buy him.

Arthur and Charles take their sweet time packing more than enough ammo, which means you quickly get bored. Every scratchy detail on the tree stump bothers you, too. Hopping to your feet, you decide to get some chores done. Everyone’s been so preoccupied with the big upcoming rescue, they’ve neglected some of the finer details in camp.

The ax is in its usual spot, surrounded by whole logs that need to be chopped. You grab ahold of the handle. It feels lighter than it used to, and you realize you’re getting stronger.

Goodbye noodle arms, you think as you bring the ax down on to the first log. You don’t quite split it, but it’s getting closer than ever. And hello Jack Lumber.

A few chops in, you feel the muscles in the back of your neck tense. Someone’s behind you, and you’re not quite sure who. But soon enough, a low, sinister chuckle reaches your ears. Micah.

“Well,” he says. “Looks like the camp nuisance is finally doing some work.”

You slowly count to three before turning around. Micah stands by you, a little too close for your liking, and he’s got a smirk on his face that twists your gut something awful. You’ve started wearing a gun belt, and the hand that isn’t holding the ax inadvertently twitches toward your revolver.

“You know something, Y/N?” He takes a step toward you. “I think you’re starting to wear out your welcome.”

Fire ignites in your chest. No. No. Micah doesn’t get to do this, try and make you second-guess yourself and your place in the gang—especially not after you’ve just started feeling comfortable.

“Back off, you useless mineral,” you hiss.

Micah’s lips curl into a snarl as he takes another step toward you. This one feels infinitely more threatening, and you barely keep yourself from taking a step back. You’ll be damned if Micah wins this fight.

“Take another step,” you warn, “and I’ll jump rope with your intestines.”

Honestly, you don’t really expect him to feel threatened, but the odd choice in words is enough to throw him off. You can see him trying to process everything you said, which gives you enough time to throw the ax down and skedaddle.

Your heart thuds frantically in your chest as you hurry to Arthur and Charles. Micah won’t try anything if you’re with them; that much, you know for sure.

“We ready to go?” You ask as nonchalantly as you can. “If I chop one more piece of wood, I’ll have to start wearing flannel.”

Charles looks confused at “flannel,” but Arthur frowns as he glances over at the chopping block. His expression hardens when he sees Micah storming away.

“Micah giving you trouble?” He asks, a hint of something dangerous in his voice.

“Nothing I can’t handle.” You go to lean against the hitching post, miss, and almost topple over. Face burning, you settle for folding your arms over your chest.

Arthur and Charles exchange looks.

“If he tries anything,” Charles tells you, calm and steady, “let us know. We’ll take care of it.”

We’ll take care of it. How a statement so simple and so general can sound that dangerous, you’ll never know. You wordlessly nod, not knowing how to respond.

Charles leaves, then, to go saddle Taima. You look to Arthur, ready to follow him to Florence, who’s already tacked up and ready. But he doesn’t move.

“Micah been buggin’ you a lot?”

You shake your head. “Not really. I mean, he gave me a hard time when I was cleaning up Pearson’s wagon a while ago, but Hosea scared him off.”

Arthur turns to look at you. “And today?”

“Oh.” You think back to the confrontation. “Well, he called me the ‘camp nuisance’ and said I was starting to wear out my welcome.”

A glint of fury flashes through Arthur’s eyes as he throws a glare in Micah’s general direction. You shiver involuntarily. Thank goodness you’re not on a certain cowboy’s bad side.

“I’ve been called worse, to be honest,” you say with a shrug, and smile slightly when Arthur looks at you again. “I’m kinda used to it.”

He gives you a troubled frown instead of sharing your nonchalance. Confused, you feel your smile waver a little.

“What?” You ask.

“You…” Arthur begins, trails off, then continues: “You know it ain’t true, right?”

“What isn’t?”

“The part about being a nuisance. You ain’t wearing out your welcome, either.”

Something pulls at your heart, something strong, and you’re suddenly at a loss for words. You’ve had so many doors slammed in your face, so many people come and go, never staying, never even wanting to stay… And you couldn’t do anything but watch them leave.

“Oh,” is all you manage around a tight throat.

Arthur looks at you some more. His eyes are soft now, soft and full of what you think is understanding. He reaches out, maybe to put a hand on your shoulder, but apparently thinks better of it and instead motions for you to follow him. You trail a little behind as he walks toward Florence. You ain’t wearing out your welcome, either. Did… did Arthur really mean that? Does that mean the rest of the gang, minus Micah, feels the same way? You can’t help but shake your head in wonder. You don’t think you’ll ever understand these people.

Once you catch up, Arthur easily swings himself on top of Florence, then hauls you into the saddle behind him. You’re starting to get used to horseback. Florence may be absolutely massive, but you don’t feel so unsteady anymore. In fact, you might actually like riding.

“We’re meeting up with Javier just outside of Blackwater,” Charles says as he brings Taima over. “Trelawney thinks the bounty hunters will bring Sean upriver.”

Arthur nods and sets a steady trot out of camp. “Good. We can probably cut ‘em off when they reach the border. I think there’s a canyon that’ll give us some decent cover.”

“Any luck, we’ll take them by surprise.” Charles urges Taima into a canter, which Florence matches. “How many do you think there’ll be?”

“For Sean?” Arthur laughs, and you try not to look too enamored. “Any pair of fools could handle him. But there’ll be a lot of ‘em, no doubt.”

Charles hums in thought, but doesn’t say anything else. Much of the ride passes in comfortable silence. Although you want to focus on admiring the scenery and marvel at the lack of, well, everything, you find yourself thinking about the upcoming fight. You may not know a lot about the past, but you’ve seen enough Westerns to know bounty hunters always put up a hell of a fight. That, and they always keep coming right when you think you’ve killed them all.

Your revolver suddenly feels heavy in its holster. You bite your lip, a little unsure. Yes, you’ve used it once at Six Point Cabin, and yes, you’ve managed to hit a few bottles, but those were honestly lucky shots. And neither of them were shooting back.

Bounty hunters, though? Different story. For as much bravado as you showed Dutch during his little tirade, you have to admit that you’re a little nervous. It’ll be your first real gunfight. You’ll have Arthur and Charles looking out for you, but you can’t help the anxiety knotting deep in your gut.

If I die, I die, you think. No going back now.

///

Conversation lags for the remainder of the ride. Eventually, after crossing a small river, you’re in what Arthur tells you is West Elizabeth. It looks… well, it looks like a perfect snapshot of a history textbook. Rolling hills and open land, bison… it’s absolutely stunning.

Off in the distance, you see two people looking over the edge of a cliff. You recognize Javier, but you don’t recognize the other man, with his mustache and mischievous eyes. He smiles when he sees Arthur and Charles, then peers at you curiously.

“And who might this be?” He asks as Arthur dismounts, leaving you alone atop Florence.

Your brain goes into a blue screen of death, and before you know what you’re doing, you say: “My name is an enigma and holds all the secrets of the universe.”

“That would be Y/N,” Arthur says, exasperated. He helps you down and grabs his rifle from the saddle. “Y/N, this is Josiah Trelawney.”

Trelawney bows with a flourish. “At your service, my dear.”

You instantly decide you like him. Waving hello to Javier, you approach the edge of the cliff, crouching low like everyone else.

“Sean?” Arthur asks as he looks down the scope of his rifle.

“I think he’s in that boat over there.” Javier gestures to a small vessel upriver. “Think they’re docking to take him further inland.”

Arthur turns the scope, then gives a hum of confirmation. “That’s him alright. Giving those bounty hunters hell.”

Trelawney nods and rises before mounting his horse. Setting a slow walk, he motions for everyone to follow him. Arthur helps you on to Florence, and then you’re off once more.

“If we do this right,” Trelawney says, “we can cut them off. Remember: we’re just innocent folk out for a ride on the trail. Let’s not draw their attention just yet.”

The five of you ride toward a canyon. Ahead, you can see the boat docked at the shore, along with several well-armed, intimidating bounty hunters standing guard. They don’t look like they’re in much of a mood to negotiate. In fact, they look ready to shoot on sight.

Everyone takes cover around the bend. Trelawney, odd man that he is, seems more preoccupied with his coat than the problem at hand.

“Now ain’t the time for a fashion statement,” Arthur drawls.

“Au contraire, my dear fellow,” Trelawney says with a smile. “Bounty hunters are even more gullible than hillbillies. I have to look the part if I’m going to make the proper distraction.”

Then, before any of you can say a word otherwise, Trelawney strides confidently toward the bounty hunters. You can’t hear what he’s saying, but you just know he’s spinning a tale bigger than the Grizzlies. He waves his arms in a grandiose gesture. In another situation, you would have mistaken it for part of the act. But now, along with Arthur, Charles, and Javier, you recognize it for what it is: a signal.

Arthur fires a quick shot, striking one of the bounty hunters between the eyes. From there, it’s chaos. All you can hear is the sound of gunfire and shouting. You take cover behind a rock, firing your revolver without really trying to hit anything. You don’t know if any of your bullets find their marks. Honestly? Probably not.

“Let’s push up on ‘em,” Arthur commands.

You stick close by him as you make your way up the canyon. The bounty hunters have regrouped by now, which lets them put up more of a fight. A bullet whizzes by your ear—too close for you to ignore—and you yelp and duck further into cover.

Arthur quickly lays down some cover fire, then hauls you up and pulls you behind a larger rock. You don’t even have time to tell him thank you. The firefight picks up again, bullets flying, ricocheting, sometimes hitting their targets, sometimes hitting the canyon walls. It takes nearly all your self-control to keep a level head.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see Javier reloading his guns, but also just barely peeking out of cover. You look up the canyon trail. There, off in the distance, half-hidden by gun smoke and dust, you can just barely make out the silhouette of a bounty hunter—and he’s aiming right at Javier.

You steel yourself. You’re not some useless coward who needs to be protected. You’re a member of the Van Der Linde Gang—an outlaw. And one of your own is in danger.

Your anxiety flees, replaced by determination. Edging ever-so-slightly out of cover, you fire off a shot toward the bounty hunter, then duck back behind the boulder. A pained yell tells you that you hit your mark, and it’s followed by silence.

Javier looks at the fallen bounty hunter, then at you. He nods his head in thanks. Smiling, you tip your fingers in a mock-salute, then follow Arthur as he pushes further up the canyon.

It doesn’t take long for your little group to reach a clearing. Right away, you see someone dangling upside down from a tree. He’s also surrounded by vicious-looking men who you would honestly rather avoid.

Well,you think to yourself. That must be Sean.

The bounty hunters have been expecting you, and they fire several warning shots into the tree line. You duck behind the trunk of a massive pine. To your right, you see Arthur considering the situation, trying to figure out the best approach. On your left, Javier and Charles wait on a signal. You don’t know what happened to Trelawney, but you think he’s alright.

“If we can get around them,” Arthur eventually says, “we can come at them from all sides.”

Javier grins. “Like shooting fish in a barrel.”

Charles gives him a look. “Only the fish can shoot back.”

Arthur nods, then looks back toward the clearing. “Someone’s gotta get to Sean quick as they can. I got a feeling he’s gonna be bait.”

“I’ll do it,” you tell him. “There’s enough cover behind that tree he’s tied up in. I’ll be fine.”

For a long, long moment, Arthur looks uncertain. But when you give him a pleading look, silently begging him to let you prove yourself, he sighs and folds the cards.

“Alright,” he agrees. “Wait until you got a clear opening, then go for it.”

Everyone heads off in opposite directions, leaving you to prepare yourself for the sprint of the century. One by one, the boys shoot the bounty hunters, hitting each with impeccable aim. Then, almost before you’re ready, you spy the perfect opportunity.

Making a beeline for Sean, you dive behind the tree just as the bullets start flying again. You sit there for a few seconds, catching your breath. You can’t believe you’re still alive. All that time in open space, and not a single scratch on you.

“It’s over!” You hear one of the bounty hunters shout.

He sounds dangerously close to you. Peeking around the tree, you see him standing not a foot away, pointing his rifle at Sean.

Shit.

You duck back into hiding before you’re spotted. This is exactly what you didn’twant to happen, and it happened anyway. Wracking your brain for ideas, you look around for anything that could be of use.

Think think think think think think—

There’s a corpse not too far from you, and you spy a knife on its belt. Moving purely on instinct and adrenaline, you snatch it from its sheath, turn back to the bounty hunter, and shove it through his throat right in the middle of his next sentence. He stays on his feet for maybe a second longer, then collapses.

You slowly back away from him. Dimly, you realize that the fire fight is over, that everyone else is okay, but you can’t bring yourself to focus on that. All you can do is stare at the body on the ground… the man you just killed.

“You alright there, friend?” Sean asks, still upside down.

“Uh,” your voice sounds far away to your own ears, “yeah. I’m fine.”

After that, you have maybe five seconds before your stomach lurches. Doubling over, you heave violently for a while before coughing, spitting out the taste in your mouth, and wiping your lips with the back of your hand.

“Hiya Sean. I’m Y/N.”

Accompanying Music: Still Breathing | Green Day

Ko-Fi

#rdr2 #red dead redemption 2 #arthur morgan #arthur morgan x reader #fic #welcome home

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panda-noosh · 3 years

Text

draco doesn’t remember how or why he fell in love with you.

it wasn’t supposed to happen. not at all. his entire life, he has been prepared for an arranged marriage, something examined by his father, picked apart and carefully chosen to ensure the malfoy line is carried on only by the best, most pure wizards the world has ever seen. from a young age, draco was prepared to put up with whoever his parents decided was good enough for him.

but he grew up.

he grew up, and he went to school, and life became his own. without his parents swarming his every move, he was free to do whatever he wanted, like whoever he wanted, and that was very dangerous ground for a boy as curious as him. never wanting to disappoint his parents, but wanting that freedom, too - it was never going to work in his favour.

you came to hogwarts during his third year, a third year yourself having just transferred from another wizarding school in britain. a smaller wizarding school, and draco remembers walking through the halls, listening to people snicker about how far behind you were, how little you knew. he didn’t even know who you were at that time, as he was yet to have any classes with you, but he was prepared to experience the same amusement as the rest of his classmates upon initial meeting.

“snape had a field day with them,” said pansy, over a bowl of porridge at breakfast one day. “absolutely shocking how little they taught them at that old school they’ve come from.”

draco snickered. “what did snape do?”

“he was about to kick them out,” replied blaise. “honestly, draco, just wait till you see them. it’s hilarious.”

and so, draco prepared himself the entire day for the moment he would finally get to witness the reason behind his friends amusement for himself. classes ticked by in a blur, him scribbling down notes carelessly, knowing full well he would have to copy off his friends later on; for today, he didn’t care. he just wanted to get to astrology, the one class he knew he had with you.

when the bell rang for final class, draco all-but sprinted to the astrology tower. throwing open the door, his grin widened, his excitement spilling over, a snide remark already forming on his smirking lips-

a snide remark that died the instant he saw you seated upon one of the pillows strewn across the floor.

because you are everything he didn’t expect. you are nothing like the image he had conjured in his head, the image of stupidity, a dopey face and a clueless gait, someone he could make fun of without feeling terribly sorry about it.

but you’re not that at all. you’re small, and not in the sense that you’re particularly short. you’re short in the sense that overwhelms draco with the sudden need to protect you from everything and everyone. you’re small in the sense that you clearly understand you have been the butt of the joke since you arrived at hogwarts, and the comments aren’t exactly helping you get comfortable.

his falter didn’t last long. people started bustling into the classroom, forcing him to his seat even as his eyes never left you. you hadn’t even looked up, too busy staring at the hands in your lap, the hands that hadn’t stopped twisting and twitching the entire time. you wore a set of rings - one on each finger - and usually this fashion choice would have been a bit over the top in draco’s opinion, but the rings glistened on your fingers, complimented each and every one, even as you pulled them off and replaced them in that nervous way he found himself so entranced with.

you were seated on a pillow directly in front of the window, and even though the classroom was fairly dark - easier for trelawney to teach the planets in the dark - there was a soft glow spread across your cheeks, illuminating your cheekbones, making your eyes glisten every time you looked up. it left his heart thumping, a feeling most uncomfortable when he had never felt it before.

but from that day on, his heart thumped every time he saw you. his hands got clammy. his throat became dry, and he often found himself shamelessly leaning against a locker, or saying something witty in the hopes you would like his voice, stop and talk to him, compliment him on his oh-so original humour.

his friends started to catch on, but by the second week, draco was past the point of caring. no longer did he try to hide his affection for you, an affection that didn’t even make sense, because you had never even given him the time of day. you walked past him with your head ducked down. you didn’t speak to him in class. you got on with your life all on your own, and honestly, that was part of the reason draco was so enamoured by you.

one of the many, many reasons.

after two weeks, his resolve was starting to disappear. he couldn’t just ignore you. he couldn’t keep himself contained for much longer, a desire he had never felt before springing to the forefront of his very being. he’s always been so content with his friend group, but he wanted to speak to you, wanted to hear your voice just the once.

and so he found you in the library on that fateful tuesday afternoon. he had no classes, astrology having been cancelled as trelawney claimed the spirits were telling her it was a bad day to come to work. draco usually took his free periods as a chance to go out and practise some quidditch moves, but this day he needed to make an exception. the team could make do without a seeker for a little while.

he pushed into the library, offering the librarian a keen smile and a nod; she merely scowled, but she does that to everyone, so draco didn’t think too much into it. his brain was elsewhere, anyway.

he flew through the library, ducking his head into the shelves in search of you. in minutes he found you, curled up in an arm chair by the fire, a thick leather bound book on your lap. as per usual, you didn’t even look up when draco approached, eyes glued to the novel, finger tracing the words in an attempt to stop the cramped, tiny sentences from getting jumbled up.

he cleared his throat. your head flinched up.

you stared at him a moment, thumb placed upon your bottom lip. it was endearing in the worst way, making something stir in draco’s stomach.

he cleared his throat again and said, “hello,” because he’s always been fairly certain that was the best way to start a conversation.

you blinked. “hello.”

“draco malfoy.”

you nodded. “i know.”

his heart thundered. he was certain you could hear it, could probably see the sweat dotting his brow, too. “oh. great.” he rubbed the back of his neck. “what’s your name?”

“y/n l/n,” you replied. “is everything okay? you look a little ill, if you don’t mind me saying.”

he didn’t. he didn’t mind at all.

“everything’s fine,” he said, before gesturing to the empty seat to your left. “do you mind if i sit?”

“be my guest.”

he sat down. “you don’t mind the company?”

“i like meeting new people.” you looked down, biting your lower lip. draco was overcome with the sudden desire to reach over and grab your hand. “i haven’t got many friends around here, you know. it’s nice to finally speak to someone.”

draco’s chest tightened. he remembered the comments, the snickers, his initial plans to make fun of you just like everyone else had been doing.

but then he remembered your face in trelawney’s classroom, the faux light dancing across your cheekbones, that twinkling laugh you let out when trelawney got one of her predictions wrong and was gravely embarrassed about it.

“but that’s not important,” you piped up when draco failed to pull himself together in time to respond. “how have you been finding everything? i know you’re on the quidditch team - what’s that like?”

and so the conversation bloomed, draco loosening up with every passing moment, every phrase where he could fit in a question. he learned more and more about you, tiny facts that would usually hold no weight whatsoever, but facts he suddenly cherished - your favourite colour, where you’re from, the names of your parents, a pair of muggles who raised you to believe you were normal until your powers started to show.

at some point, you said, “i know the malfoys aren’t big fans of wizards who aren’t pure bloods.”

draco’s face warmed. “yeah, well...”

“are you going to get in trouble for talking to me?”

“probably.” he leaned back, crossing his leg across his own knee. “i don’t care, though. they’re not here right now, are they?”

so no, draco does not know the exact moment he fell in love with you. he doesn’t know how, or why, or when, but he knows it happened. at some point during this strange, spontaneous relationship, he fell in love with you, and has been unable to shake himself out of it.

it might be because you’re beautiful. it might go deeper than that. it might be because he’s never felt so comfortable with anyone in his entire life. it might be because, for the first time ever, he doesn’t care what his parents think. for the first time ever, he is more than willing to make his own decisions, to go against everything he has ever been told just to sit with you for one more day, one more minute, one more second.

and it’s not like these feelings crashed upon him all at once. it was gradual, an almost painful experience, an extraction of his sourness, replaced by this. . . fondness? this love. this love for a person so different to him, a person so unexpected, a person that shouldn’t fit so well into his life, but does so.

#harry potter #harry potter fic #harry potter fanfic #harry potter fanfiction #draco malfoy #draco malfoy fic #draco malfoy fanfic #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco fic #draco fanfic #draco fanfiction #draco #draco x reader #draco malfoy x reader #harry potter x reader

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torifeelslikewritingagain · 3 years

Text

Can’t Take My Eyes Off of You

Pairing: Fred Weasley x Slytherin!Reader

Summary: Fred and you have never been sure of your feelings for one another.

Word Count: 7,823

Warnings: A bit of bad lenguage, and slow burn(?

A/N: This is the first thing I’ve written in 6-7 years, so let me know what y’all think, I’d appreciate it a lot:) Also, forgive any grammar mistakes, english isn’t my native lenguage, haha

GIF credit: @fgweasley

Fred liked looking at you from afar.

He liked the way how you were different from all the other Slytherins even though you actually were like the rest of them.

Since your first year at Hogwarts, he’d taken a liking towards you. Of course at the beginning that liking was just friendly, he liked that he didn’t feel the need to punch you in the face, he’d never admit it tho, not even to George since they’d been taught to mistrust those in your house; but during that first year he’d always notice how you were the only Slytherin in the room who wouldn’t talk in class unless you were asked to by the teacher, he liked that you didn’t look at him or at George with despise. Of course, there were also times where the thought of you quietly and discretely planning a mass murder would cross his head, but you never gave a reason to worry that his suspicions were actually true.

Fast forward to your 3rd grade, after the winter break, he noticed in the platform how much your parents would actually show you their affection, that was also weird for the majority of the Slytherin kids he could recognize, and it wasn’t until that moment that George noticed him looking at you that he said:

“Oi, we’ve never pranked her, have we? Maybe we should pay more attention this year”

Fred felt terrible in that moment for having put you on George’s radar, he didn’t want to pull a prank on you, right? Although, to say the least, he was curious at how you’d react, after all, you weren’t insufferable like the most of your house, but you also weren’t the quiet mouse that you were during your first year, he’d seen you become more social, he’d notice how you would actively participate in Divination class asking Professor Trelawney real questions instead of mocking her like the rest of the students. He’d also see you talking to Abigail Rosier during dinner and often times he’d see you walking around the castle with her, so he concluded she must have been your best friend.

One night after dinner, when your fourth year was beginning, he was sneaking away from Filch, until he overheard Malfoy yelling at someone:

“… keep defending them?”

“Because you insist on being a bloody cunt to them for no goddam reason!” It was the first time he had ever heard you say bad words, or even angry, you’d usually keep a neutral aura that was sometimes disrupted by your friends being funny or by him and George who had gotten a like to pull little harmless pranks on you. “They’re wizards too, Malfoy. Their blood status shouldn’t matter to you or anyone, that’s none of our business, they are just like us”

“Speak for yourself, I’m nothing like those blood-traitor weasels or that mudblood…”

“You’re right, the Granger girl is smarter than you could ever dream to be” In that moment he picked up what was happening, you, (y/n) Lafington, were defending his little brother and his friends, and you weren’t even friends. Were you? Did you think that them pranking you was being friends?

“My father will hear about this”

“Well, make sure to send him and your mother my love” He saw Malfoy starting to walk away “You’re children Malfoy, you don’t have to do this, leave them alone” He heard that last phrase with a smile on his face, now he could actually tell George that he liked you.

…

After the hallway incident, he rushed to tell George and Lee, who didn’t believe him; so he saw himself forced to subject to his brother the question if you were in fact, trash or not.

“Lafington?” Ron asked George back

“Isn’t she the girl who is always talking back to Malfoy?” Inquired Harry “You know, the one who is always around the chaser… eh.. Pucey!”

“Yeah! She is! I’ve talked to her in the library, we’re trying to convince McGonagall t…” At that point Fred had stopped listening, he was just happy to prove George and Lee that what he had seen was real, but he wasn’t so happy to hear that you were hanging around with someone as despicable as Adrian Pucey.

A few days later Fred noticed himself paying more attention to you, George did too.

“Just go talk to her”

“And say what? I was walking around the castle and decided to spy on you and Malfoy so now I want to say thank you for looking out for my brother and his friends when I couldn’t?”

“That’s not so bad, actually” George smirked, Fred felt immensely stupid, he couldn’t figure out what was it that he found so difficult about talking to you. “But if you’re not going to do anything, I guess that Adrian Pucey will” With that said, George walked away, making sure to bump into you, he apologized and smiled to you, as he kept walking, he turned to Fred to make sure he was watching, so he decided to seize the opportunity his twin created for him and approached you.

...

By the start of your fifth year, you had kind of developed a friendship. You liked the twins, you liked how at the end of last year they had sticked up for you when everyone turned against the Slytherins because of the Chamber of Secrets thing, you grieved the disappearance of their sister and celebrated when she was found, you liked how they didn’t take life too seriously and would always be there to make you smile.

You liked how George would give you sweets when he had any on him, you also liked how much of a good listener he was, he was always there to hear you ramble about astrology, Slytherin’s gossip or a random book you had found at the library, out of the two of them, you were closer to him since Fred always seemed to have a weird face on when you were around, but it didn’t bother you that much, so you paid no mind. You also liked how both of them didn’t make fun of you when you told them that you liked quidditch even though you didn’t know much about the teams, you liked playing it mostly, not watching.

Fred liked that about you too, so when you told the twins that Pucey was helping you train to try and join the Slytherin team that year, he felt his chest shrunk in relief, you weren’t flirting with Adrian, you were just being mates, after all, Slytherin is the most loyal house, and you all looked out for each other.

You made your way into the team as a chaser, the twins were happy for you, and you were thriving! Quidditch had come sort of therapeutic for you, you loved the rush it brought when you were riding your broom so far from the ground, the sensation of danger when you knew that one the bludgers might hit you, you also loved the idea of getting out in an accepted way the rage that was always boiling inside of you.

Honestly, quidditch was the best thing that could have happened to you, it helped you to finally ditch what was left of your shell, as the season advanced everyone could notice how you were becoming more outspoken, more assertive, more popular; that didn’t mean that you were immune to the dementors watching around the castle, though. You just felt the need to express everything you were feeling, whether it was good or bad. And having those creatures around did affect you, despite to what everyone might have thought, you could be spotted arguing with Malfoy more often, you wouldn’t wait to keep things in the Slytherin common room anymore, you would just explode at any given moment. Professor McGonagall was worried about you, you’d always been one of her favorite students in your year, Snape on the other hand, was watching your character development rather amused, he told McGonagall that it was just matter of time that you actually started behaving like a real Slytherin, to what she refused to believe that he was right, so she decided to take the matters into her own hands.

“Professor, I swear on Merlin’s beard that we haven’t done anything punish-worthy in the last three days” Fred said while he and George sit at Professor McGonagall’s desk.

“Yeah, whatever happened to Filch has nothing to do with us this time” The professor looked at George in confusion to whatever it was that they had done this time, she hadn’t called them in for any of that matters.

“Mr. Weasley” she started “I actually called you and your brother for a different reason this time, although I would very much like to know what you did this time in order to automatically be defending yourselves. I wanted to speak to you about Miss Lafington”

“(Y/n)?” Asked Fred

“Yes, Mr. Weasley. I’ve noticed that you are rather close to her, and well, since she is one of my best students, I feel a little bit concerned about her attitude and mood lately”

This year you didn’t share your favorite classes with Gryffindor, which meant that the twins would often see the more reserved version of you in the classroom when the topic wasn’t of your particular interest, so Fred started to worry a little when Professor McGonagall said that; where you skipping class? Were you failing? He and George sat there in silence.

“Nothing unfixable, I want to assume, so I ask you both to remove that awful look from your faces. My guess is that the presence of the dementors, those terrible creatures, has been affecting your friend, as you may notice, a good portion of your classmates. So, as your head of house, I’m asking you to keep an eye on your friend and one of my dearest students”

“So, you want us to prank her more often” George asked with a smirk on his face.

“Mr. Weasley, please, be serious. I’m asking you to not let these things affect that girl more than they should. I’ve noticed that quidditch has become and outlet for her but it can only last so long, so maybe try getting her out of the dungeons and the aura that surrounds her house for a little bit. Distract her, put some positive thought in her head”

“I understand, Professor” Fred nodded, he felt that McGonagall was overreacting a bit, you all were growing and asserting your characters after all, but he did notice you a little more irritable than usual. “Count on us”

“Good” She concluded “Now, go to class” The twins went for the door and just when they were about to close it “And know that you both have detention today for whatever you did to Mr Filch”

…

Fred had no idea how to approach you without spilling the conversation he had with Professor McGonagall, so he let George do the wonder while he just kept looking at you from afar as he always had. He didn’t know why, but every day he looked at you, he swore that you looked better than the day before, sure, you had eye bags and looked tired from all the training, but he found you mesmerizing even when you had your hair up in a bun that looked like a bird’s nest. And he could notice all the boys were noticing you, too, now he didn’t only have to worry about Adrian Pucey, no, now he’d also had Lee, who found you extremely badass, Cedric Diggory, who was on the Hufflepuff team and had been asking about you to some of the younger Gryffindor girls, knowing that Fred & George would talk about you in the common room, even Oliver had taken an interest towards you because of how you played; the quidditch boys in general, he didn’t worry about Marcus Flint, though, he knew that he was too ugly for you.

So he kept his distance, as a friend could, of course. You’d hang out with him and George more often as Fred tried to sort out his feelings for you. Was he still just curious about you? Or had he actually started developing something more than platonic? He knew that you were amazing, and he was glad that people had finally noticed you, but he’d also feel bummed out by that sometimes, he felt that one day you might stop talking to him and George. He worried about what you thought of him, mostly, because he knew that he wasn’t as good friend to you as George was, but it was because he didn’t want you to look at him just as a friend, did he?

Meanwhile, you were enjoying the extra time with the twins, by the end of the school year you had even helped them come up with some ideas for the joke products that they had started designing, you still liked having them around among most of the new people in your life. You felt infuriated when you didn’t win the house cup, Fred reassured you that your game was good, it just was Wood’s last season and no one loved quidditch more than he did. So one week before going on summer holidays, they asked you if you wanted to come to the Quidditch Cup with them and their family, you weren’t sure, so you said that you missed your parents and went home.

During the summer you wrote to both of them, and Fred insisted that you joined them on their trip, but you didn’t want to be a bother, what if you didn’t fit it? What if their parents didn’t like you? What if all of their family hated you because you were a Slytherin? They assured you that you wouldn’t have to worry about a thing, that their mum would love you and their dad would, too.

On the other hand, you were nervous about even asking your own parents, they didn’t hate the Weasleys or any other “blood traitors” in particular, they didn’t care about those things, but they hated drama, that’s why they would keep low profiles and had taught you to do the same. You hanging out with the Weasleys at school? No problem, teens could always be spreading rumors, but you knew that showing up with them at an event like the Quidditch World Cup would be interpreted as an statement, and you knew how delicate things were getting politically, so you obviously felt uneased to say the least, you loved your parents, and you knew the values that they had taught you, but you also were aware of the kind of world were you grew up in, a world where people like the Malfoys would find themselves trying to be pleased by everyone out of fear.

You didn’t respond to the twins for three weeks while you meditated your next move, you were dying to see them, but was that urge stronger than your loyalty to your family?

…

Turns out your mom had seen you so down that she decided to go around your stuff and found the twins’ letters. When you came home from spending a few days with Abby she welcomed you with the letters in hand at the tea room. “Well, that’s it. It was fun while it lasted” You thought to yourself, but much to your surprise your mother encouraged you to go with them.

“There was only one boy who wrote to me like this, and that boy grew to be the man I married and turned into your dad. -Pay no mind to the blood status- I believe that’s what your father and I have taught you” She said taking her tea cup in hand.

You didn’t know why she was acting like this; they had also taught you to avoid big conflicts, yet, here you were. “Sorry mom, I don’t think I follow”

“Do you know why you feel like standing up to Lucius’ son? Because it is in your blood. During my time at Hogwarts I was friends with some muggleborns, but unlike you, I let myself get carried away by my house peers, don’t make the same mistake, much less when it’s about love” You remained silent after she spoke, you didn’t know where did she get this idea that you loved Fred, because she was talking about Fred, right? He was the one who wrote to you more constantly. “I’ll talk to your father; we’ll discuss it over supper”

Confused was short for how you felt. But at least you’d get to spend some time with some of your best friends, so that night you wrote to Fred that you were, in fact, joining them in a few weeks. You felt your stomach sink the moment your owl left. What if him and George now hated you? What if they thought that you not responding for weeks meant putting an end to your friendship? As these questions wondered your brain, the doubt of why your mom started talking about love came, too. Cause she was talking about Fred, wasn’t she? Why was Fred the one who came to your mind for this matter? Maybe she was talking about George, you were closer to him, essentially. But it was the mystery that drove you back to Fred, because sure, you were friends, but he had that face when you were around, and you also felt that there was this barrier, not in a hostile way, but as an aura of, well, mystery. You knew that he was the one to like you first, George had told you that story about the hallway and you defending Ron, and how Fred basically ran to tell him, yet, you always seemed to feel it odd since Fred was a little distant. At first you thought it was just his personality, you had thought “maybe George is warmer” but you’d often see him hang out with other girls, too. He’d hug Alicia Spinnet and Angelina Johnson, just like George would, but he wouldn’t even let his arm brush yours unless George had started play-fighting and he had to intervene, so you just had thought that maybe he liked you, but he didn’t quite trust you. Until now.

What if your mother was right? What if Fred liked more as more than a friend? You couldn’t even begin to make sense to that idea, you had seen Fred around other girls, he was a master at flirting, he’d swoon them over. The thought of him fancying you didn’t add up to how he treated you, did it? You refused to give your heart false hopes and dismissed those thoughts quickly, you just went to sleep happy to create memories with your friends.

…

On the other hand, Fred thought that he would spend the most amazing time with you during these holidays, he had even started talking to George about his feelings for you trying to figure them out, but then his father told him that his friend, Amos Diggory and his son would also join the group, at least for the trip, and he felt like cursing the entire world. How could he define what he felt for you when Pretty Boy Diggory would be around? George knew, that Lee knew, that Tori knew because Annabelle had told her, that Cedric was interested in you, he was curious, too. The difference was that Diggory knew that he could charm anyone he wanted, he just had to play his cards right, while Fred couldn’t even begin to admit that he wanted to play his cards too.

You arrived at The Burrow a few days before the Cup, you got to spend time with the Weasleys and even Harry and Hermione, you knew Hermione from your late night study sessions at the library, but you had never actually had a conversation for Harry, you found him rather plain, not in demeaning way, but you could see that this boy had barely an idea of what he represented, he was just like any other boy his age. Molly loved you, even when you found hard to call her that instead of -Mrs. Weasley-, and Ginny liked you too, she liked having another girl who liked quidditch around to play, she was good, you bonded over the game. And she was kind enough to tell you that everyone noticed the small tension that was going on between you and Fred. At first you thought that she was just messing with you, after all, she was the sister of Hogwarts´ most prolific pranksters, but then one night Hermione joined the girl talk, luckily, the subject changed to Ginny’s crush on Harry, but you were left wondering, if people were repeating what your mother said, it might as well be truth, right?

You spent that night thinking about Fred, you liked how he snorted while laughing after a prank he had been planning for long turned out brilliantly, you liked how he would talk you out of pulling an all-nighter to study so you could go wander the castle with him and George. You liked how he would look out for you during the Gryffindor vs. Slytherin matches, much to Oliver’s dismay…

You loved how competitive he was. You loved how before each game he’d tried to place a bet, whether you both were playing or not. You loved how you two would exchange challenging looks from one side to the other of the field. You loved how defensive he got when it came to someone offending you or talking trash to your back. You fell asleep while thinking in all of the things that you loved about this boy, maybe you did have a crush on him…

The next day everyone was super excited, it was the game day, so you all got your bags and started walking into the forest. You were walking with a twin on each side when you saw a man with glasses come up to Arthur and greeted him. You heard Fred sigh and murmur something beneath his breath, but whatever he said was eclipsed by George saying “Now, the fun begins” with a huge devious smile on his face, you didn’t get it. Was this man someone that Arthur didn’t like that much? Were they work frenemies? Then your thoughts were interrupted by something falling from a tree, a someone, actually. Next to the man talking to Arthur was now standing the Hufflepuff’s team captain, Hogwarts’ golden boy: Cedric Diggory. You turned around for a brief second to look at Ginny and Hermione, who you could already see were starting to get a little face-heated from just looking at the boy, you didn’t blame them, every girl at school had a crush on him, and you weren’t the exception, you just were more discrete when it came to showing an opinion, plus you hadn’t been officially introduced to him, sure, you had played against him, but you had never crossed a word, so you felt that showing even the slightest hint of heart eyes for him was inappropriate, plus, now you had come to terms that you liked Fred more than just a friend, right?

He quickly noticed that you were all standing there looking at him so he came up to say hi.

“(Y/N), this is Hufflepuff’s team captain: Cedric Diggory; Cedric, this is (y/N) Lafington, Slytherin’s newest chaser” George introduced you after greeting him.

“Yes, I know exactly who she is” Cedric shook your hand firmly while he answered to George. Fred was silent. “You were the talk of all teams last year, how come no one had noticed you before?”

-Well, I noticed her since our first week at school, thank you-Fred thought to himself.

“I just…” You smiled at Diggory while shrugging your shoulders “I guess I wasn’t that interested in sports before, I’m more of a library mouse, actually”

“Oh, okay, so you’re smart, too. I get it. I like that” Oh Merlin, you liked Fred, but so did you liked having the most eligible man at school looking at you in the way he was.

George was having a blast mentally, he knew Fred was bloody pissed, but he thought that this was for his own good, Fred had to realize that you wouldn’t wait for him forever, so mayyyybe George actually had encouraged Diggory to hit on you. He felt like he was doing his best work as a best friend and as a brother.

During the rest of the walk, Cedric joined you and the twins, you all chatted a bit about school, and when you arrived at the game you went to the girl’s tent. Hermione and Ginny were craving details about Diggory, but you really didn’t have much to give them. Later, when you went looking for the twins, you didn’t find them, Cedric found you, though. You decided to take a walk around with him, while you were talking you got to know him a little better, he was a good guy; you picked up that the flirty smiles and eyes between you two were just denial when he mentioned Cho Chang, Ravenclaw’s seeker. This boy didn’t want to admit that his playboy days were over, you thought that was funny. Yeah, you still had a crush on him, but you realized that it was a platonic thing, you liked Cedric, as a friend.

After placing a bet with Ludo Bagman, Fred had gone back looking for you, when he saw you laughing along with Diggory he felt his stomach shrink and the bile rising through his chest to his throat, maybe Angelina was right, maybe you knew that he liked you but you just chose to ignore him, but he also George’s voice came to his head in your defense, how could you even begin to imagine what he felt for you when he could barely look you in the eye? Those beautiful (y/e/c) eyes. He took a deep breath and approached you, telling you that it was time to go to your seats, you said goodbye to Cedric and followed Fred.

“So…” You started while trying to keep with him “I was hoping that you could tell me a little bit about the teams that will be playing tonight…”

“Didn’t Diggory tell you any of that? Or was he just trying to get in your pants?” You stood completely frozen at what he had just said, Fred had never said anything mean to you, in fact, he’d go after anyone who mistreated you.

“Excuse me?” Was the one thing that you managed to express. Fred turned back to look at you and he crumbled a little on the inside when he saw the hurt in your eyes, the shock, he thought how cute you looked with your eyebrows furrowed like that, but he quickly realized that he had fucked up.

“Oh… I-…” He didn’t know how to apologize; he wasn’t used to get carried away by his emotions in that way. You didn’t say anything, you stood there maintaining eye contact, you were waiting for a proper apology. “Look, I’m sorry, that came out in a completely wrong way” He waited for a response but you gave him nothing “Fine” he sighed and walked over closer to you “I’m sorry, I really am” Nothing. “Hey, Lafts, I’m now begging for your forgiveness” He used your nickname, which you felt relaxed your forehead. “Pleeeaaaase…” In that moment you felt him taking your hand and putting to his mouth to kiss it while giving you puppy eyes.

“Okay, I accept your apology” You said with a small smile in return, and taking your hand away from his. “But what in hell has gotten into you?” You asked as you started walking again.

“I just don’t like that he thinks that he can have you that easily, I don’t want you to get hurt by one of the most famous playboys at school. That’s it” Fred knew that he had to be cautious about what he said, he didn’t want to sound like a complete lunatic, but he also didn’t want to confess his feelings for you in the middle of the scenario that you were standing right now in.

You also didn’t want to keep going with this fight, so you accepted his excuse and kept going, even though on the inside you were still upset about him talking to you that way. When you arrived at your seats you placed yourself between Ginny and George, avoiding Fred. George resumed the season to you before the game started, you saw Draco and his dad, who offered you joining them in the box, but you refused politely with a simple “Thank you Mr. Malfoy, but I’ll stay with my friends for this once” which made everyone look at you with inquire, you explained that Lucius Malfoy was one of your father’s oldest business partners, so it was better to keep things light with him, Draco was different story; that last part relaxed the tension and made everyone laughed.

During the game you could occasionally feel Fred’s gaze on you, you’d sometimes look back, letting him know that you weren’t angry, but still you didn’t want to engage a conversation with him yet.

You had a good time, even though you still liked playing better than just watching, the twins and Ginny were really happy that Ireland had won. After you exited the stadium Arthur told everyone that you’d have dinner an hour later, so you returned calmly to the tents, while you were walking you started hearing people screaming and some even running, you looked at the twins but they were just as confused as you.

“Spread!” Arthur yelled at you “Spread! Hide! Fred, George, watch your sister” at a not so long distance you could see people with some weird masks marching forward and destroying the tents around, then it hit you.

“Death Eathers” you barely mumbled. You turned to see Harry, Ron and Hermione already running “Go” you said firmly now to the twins, you pushed them and Ginny in the opposite direction where the Death Eaters came. “Go. They won’t hurt me. At least I think so, go, hide, protect Ginny” George nodded and took Ginny by the hand, the started walking.

“Oi!” Fred called them, but they didn’t listen, he turned to you, and grabbed you by the arm “I’m not leaving you here, let’s go”

“No, Fred. You’re a blood traitor” you got rid of his grip

“So are you!”

“Yes, but my family never talks about this publicly, no one knows. I won’t put them at risk” You knew that the words were hurting him, but he knew that it was truth, your parents’ business depended on them remaining neutral, no one really knew about your family’s blood status views unless they were close to you. “Look, Fred” You could hear the chaos closer and closer “You know I love you guys, and you know I value your friendship, but right now I really need you to go and look for George and Ginny, I can take care of myself” Just like he did with you a few hours earlier, you could see the hurt in his eyes, you knew your mother liked him from the letters, but you couldn’t bare the idea of putting her in danger for a simple crush. “I promise I’ll look for you guys when this is over, I’ll go help your dad” You kissed his hand and pushed him away “GO!”

You barely could see him running away because you turned around and started casting transfiguration spells on yourself, if you were getting into this fight, you’d make sure that no one behind those masks could recognize you.

When the dark mark was casted onto the sky, the Death Eaters started vanishing, everyone remained shook, when you made sure that none remained there, you started waking back to the party’s tent, there you returned your appearance back to normal, when you came out you saw Arthur returning, he recognized the clothes you were wearing and hugged you. “Thank you” he said as soon as you broke apart, you put your hand on top of his on your shoulder “No problem, Mr. Weasley. I just wish I could have done it without wasting time putting a costume on”

“You helped innocent people, and that should be enough” He gave you and honest smile and went inside the tent. Later when everyone had returned, you all returned to The Burrow, where you all were warmly welcomed by a worried Molly Weasley, who had heard everything from the news.

“Oh, dear, I assume your parents must be worried about you, you should write to them” She said to you as soon as she had the chance, and you agreed, so you thought that the best was to return home the next day.

…

Your parents weren’t that worried about you, actually, they knew that you were a fighter, but they did look worried about how thing would start changing from here on in, you told them that you made yourself unrecognizable when the Death Eaters showed up, which your father thanked you.

Over the next few weeks you wrote to the twins and your other friends, you even exchanged letters with Cedric Diggory (to whom George had felt the freedom to give your address) You just wanted to go back to Hogwarts and get away from all of the political problems going on, you wanted to go back to normal, where you could actually be you and give zero shits about blood status, you couldn’t wait enough for your 17th birthday, the day your freedom would came; if you were seventeen your parents would get excluded from all of your personal decisions. But for now, you could just keep on dreaming.

During the first week of class of your sixth year, you looked for the twins, they greeted you with the warmest of hugs, especially Fred (which surprised you) and you offered them an apology for bringing up the blood thing the day of the game, they were really understanding.

“Don’t worry, dad was amazed at how feisty you turned out to be, he didn’t see it coming, he snitched on you with us” George words made you giggle “Changing your looks to kick ass? That’s clever”

“Yeah, maybe you could help us perfect those spells so Snape and Filch can’t know who came for them” Fred added with a wink.

That same week you learned that this year you wouldn’t have quidditch because Hogwarts would be hosting the Triwizard Tournament, those were terrible news for you, but still, you felt excited about having exchange students over, and the twins had the idea that you could still play quidditch on your free time during the weekends, it wouldn’t be the same, but you were okay with it.

Fred wouldn’t admit it, but he really wanted you to accept the idea of weekend quidditch, because that was the first step on his plan to conquer you. When he heard his dad speaking so highly of you, he was certain that he was totally in love with you, the fear of losing you that he felt the day before, the way he reacted when he saw that Cedric could make you laugh too; the way his tummy felt when you kissed his hand, the way he suffered every minute while he hid knowing nothing of you and dreading the worst, he scolded himself mentally for letting you go, he should’ve gone with you, he shouldn’t have left you alone in a situation like that; All of that made sudden sense to him while his father kept telling the story, he didn’t just have a crush on you, he wasn´t just curious, he was head over heels in love with you. So he asked for Charlie’s advice, and he designed a plan to ask you out s u a v e m e n t e, the original plan involved hanging out after quidditch practice, so when quidditch got cancelled he had to improvise. He also had an advantage this year, you guys shared Potions class, which Fred knew was one of your favorites, so he would be able to talk to you during class because of Snape’s favoritisms towards Slytherins.

The weeks passed and you started noticing how George would always disappear when the tree of you were supposed to hang out, leaving you alone with Fred, you didn’t mind, you loved the way his red hair would look at night with the dim lights of the castle at night, and he loved the way your eyes lit up when you looked at the stars. Truth is that you two were getting closer, closer than friends, none of you said a thing about it, but you both could feel the connection growing. When the Yule Ball was announced you were sure that Fred would ask you to be his date, so you and Abby went dress shopping, she really didn’t like the idea of you getting with a Gryffindor, much less a Weasley, but she was happy that you had someone just like she had her Durmstrang student.

When you got to the shop Hogsmead and started looking at the fabrics, you noticed that other girls were already there, between them you could notice the girls of Gryffindor’s quidditch team, you paid no mind to them nor to their whispers and dirty looks. Abby went away for a moment to try on a dress that she liked, when she came back she had an annoyed look on her face.

“You didn’t like it?” You thought it was the dress “You know that’s just the sample one, they can make it for you in a different color”

“It’s not that” she said, putting the dress back “I liked the dress”

“Then why the face?”

“Look” she started “I know that you like the Weasley boy, much to the house’s dismay, and I’m trying (y/n), I’m really trying to keep my nose out of this because I like seeing you happy” she paused for a second before going, you could see that her mind was working trying to say something.

“Abby, it’s okay, I can take it” What could it be? Had he gotten in a fight with Adrian again?

“When I was in the changing room I could hear Angelina Jhonson talking about how excited she was to be attending the ball with Frederick”

“Well, that’s a shame for her, he’s going to ask me”

“That’s the thing Lafts, he asked her already, not you, her.” You could see that Abby was trying to hold it together, she was quite protective of you, but you did recognize that she was trying to not hate Fred. “I know it sounds terrible and I don’t know, maybe those twits are tryin’ to play mind games on us, but you should definitely check that out; I don’t want this night that we’ll probably remember forever to be ruined for you by some stupid scumsucker”

You were speechless, you didn’t know what to say, you were certain that Abigail wasn’t fond of the twins, but you also knew that she just wouldn’t lie about it, so when she had her order on her dress made, you two returned to the castle.

That night at dinner you had a hard time spotting Fred at the Great Hall, you also had a hard time spotting him anywhere in the castle, when you went to George for answers he responded with a simple “Love you both, I’ve done plenty trying to help Fred. I’m not getting in the middle of this mess” And walked away, which left you feeling even more confused and angry than before, why were they shutting you down? You wrote to your mom to know if anything big had happened outside the school, but she said nothing had really came up. You were left with nothing, the next few days George made sure to let you know that he was still there for you, but he drew the line when it came to talking about Fred. Something inside of you said “See? You were right, Fred didn’t really like you, it was all in your head; if not, then how come only George is here now?” And you didn’t want to give this voice the reason, but it was the only thing in your mind.

The days passed and the ball came, you ended up attending it with Adrian, after all, you and him were really good friends. You were having a great time with your friends, you even danced a piece with Cedric, then George came to you, too. Fred remained far away, you could see him on the dance floor with Angelina, as Abby said; you felt your heart break a little more every time you looked at him, you were angry at him, but you were also angry at yourself, how could you had let yourself think for a minute that someone like him could fall in love with you? You were opposites, and everyone knew it, and everyone made sure you were reminded of it at all times. A slow song came on and Adrian said to you that he would try to dance with some girl from Beauxbatons, so you went to sit down for a bit. You watched all the couples dancing with a bit of longing, you saw that Ginny was there with a boy and you felt your heart melt for a moment, not everyone was having a rough night.

“Not having fun?” You heard George’s voice behind you.

“Eh” you shrugged your shoulders “I’ve been better” you turned your head to look at him.

“Well” He hunched over to be at your level “I see Pucey dancing with someone and my date blew me off too, wanna go wreck someone’s make out session?” That last part with wiggling eyebrows. He made you chuckle.

“Fine” You said rolling your eyes. You took your clutch and followed him through the hallways, you walked quietly, trying to spot any couple to scare. Suddenly George came to a stop in front of a door. You looked at him with questioning eyes, he nodded, letting you know that there was someone in there.

“You go first” He whispered. You smiled, excited. You got your wand ready. When George opened the door, you pointed your wand but before you could say anything you were surprised by Fred Weasley standing in front of you. Well, he was actually pacing, but still, he was in front of you. You turned to George.

“I thought you said t-“

“I know what I said” He cut you off. “But I’m doing this for you, not for him” He looked at both of you before closing the door and leaving you there.

You stood there in silence for a couple of minutes, you didn’t even want to look at him, you were hurt.

“So, I saw you dancing with Diggory…”Fred finally broke the silence.

“Really? Are you seriously bringing that up?” You decided to look at him and when your eyes met you felt the world freeze. You stared at each other. Fred had been watching you from afar, too. But now that he had you close, he was taken out of breath of how good you looked. The way your dress made your skin pop, the way your eyes were glowing thanks to the make-up, he could also see the lip gloss that you had been reapplying all night.

“Fred?” Your voice brought him back from his mind. “You know what? I don’t even know why I decided to stay, I should’ve left with George” You headed for the door but he quickly got up and stood before you.

“No. You know why” You got chills, you didn’t know if they came from the cold of the classroom you where standing in or from the look in his eyes. He took off his jacket and tried to covered you with it.

“No” You said stepping back and putting your hand in front of you. “You don’t get to play prince charming with me, not after you ignored me for a month… Why did you do it..?”

Fred didn’t know what to say, he knew that the moment to confess his feelings to you had arrived, but he felt too dumb to say something.

“You know Fred? If you didn’t like me you could’ve just been straight forward about it.” You started talking trying to keep your voice neutral. “You didn’t have to pretend to be my friend all these years, the worst part of it is that these last few months I felt like something beyond a friendship was growing between us” That was it, you gulped, your voice broke “You didn’t have to make me fall in love with you and then break my heart” Fred rose his head. You crossed your arms over your chest trying to keep all your feelings in.

“Wait a second, love, rewind a little bit there” He was in shock, he walked towards you. “You’re in love with me?” You could hear the surprise in his voice. Was he now laughing at you?

“You’re impossible, Weasley” You headed for the door again, but Fred grabbed your arm and pulled you to him. “Let m-“ You felt his lips crash on yours, shutting you up. You responded to his kiss, you could sense desperation in it.

“I’ve liked you since our first year” He said when you finally broke away “I’ve always felt keen on you. I love you. I shut you out because I was too scared of my own feelings, I’ve never felt this way for anyone else. I figured out that if I just cutyou off, all the feelings would go away, but they didn’t.” You looked at him mouth-opened, not knowing what to say, you both had been feeling this way but you were too scared to admit it.

“You’re an idiot” You finally managed to say. He kissed you again.

“Yes, I am, I am the biggest idiot ever” Kiss “but please say you won’t pay mind to the all the bloody talking and you’ll be my official girlfriend” He pecked you on the lips again.

“Yes, yes, okay” You laughed.

You stood there for a while, laughing at how obnoxious you both had been the last few years. You were in love with Fred, and Fred was in love with you. You weren’t waiting for you 17th birthday anymore, you were making up for all the lost time, everyone else could go to hell.

#fred weasley imagine #fred weasley x reader #fred weasley x slytherin!reader #fred weasley x reader imagine #fred weasley x fem!reader #fred imagine #fred weasley x y/n #fred and george #weasley twins imagine #weasley twins #fred and george weasley #fred weasley #harry potter #hp imagine #harry potter imagine #hp

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lov3nerdstuff · 3 years

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Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.12}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 4.4k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

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The time before the actual welcoming feast seemed to stretch on forever this year. The sorting took longer than usual, or at least it felt like that, and Dumbledore's speech seemed even more repetitive and boring than it always had. Robin guessed that it was the 48 hours without a meal that had her desperately looking forward to the beginning of the feast, and seeing as nobody else seemed to be bothered by how long it all was taking, she probably was right to think so.

In her impatience, she started fiddling with whatever cutlery she had within her reach on the table, tapping her feet, nibbling on her bottom lip… until the people around her were starting to be seriously irritated by her behavior, upon which she forced herself to stop. Instead, she went for her usual inspection of the staff at the head table. What was sitting up there like? Did they ever feel observed, or were they used to it from all the time they got stared at in class? She should ask about it, at some point.

Other than a few more wrinkles here and some new robes there, things really hadn't changed; they never did. While Dumbledore was speaking in the front, the teachers behind him were unsurprisingly not paying all too much attention. Sure, they all made the impression to be listening, but when Robin followed the line of faces, she could see Sprout quietly chatting with Hooch, Trelawney taking more interest in her goblet than in her colleagues, Hagrid and Flitwick having a very subtle argument about something… and then there was McGonagall, talking to Snape as if there wasn't even a speech she ought to be listening to. Robin inevitably had to smile when she saw the two; McGonagall being very much focused on whatever she was saying, while Snape was listening carefully but pretended to be entirely uninterested at the same time. Robin realized that he might very well do that to everyone who tried to talk to him about anything of minor importance. Then again… he was always listening to whatever she was rambling about, without a single spark of indifference. The thought made her smile even more. Perhaps he simply didn't bother with the facades around her anymore because she knew better anyway.

When the meal finally started, Robin was more than happy to indulge in the different kinds of food, and somehow everything tasted better than she remembered it to. But after weeks of living off whatever was cheapest in the store that day, a fully cooked meal like this was the most luxurious thing she could think of in the first place.

"I don't think I've ever seen you enjoying your food that much." Jorien remarked after a while, and Robin had to fight the embarrassment that wanted to paint her face.

"Yeah, didn't you get any breakfast at home?" Cas chuckled while she again picked the mushrooms out of her mixed vegetables and moved them over to Robin's plate. Some things just never changed.

"Good question, you've certainly lost some weight over the weeks of summer…" Jorien added, and both girls looked at Robin expectantly for an answer.

"I had quite a bit of exercise during the holidays, more than I usually get. Running through nature all day, every day, is a workout in itself. Perhaps that's where the weight went." She only shrugged in return, putting it off as nothing like she did so often when she didn't want the girls to know the truth. "I'm sure I'll be back to normal in no time now that we're back at school."

"You should eat dessert, too, then. Your robes look too loose like that, the fit needs some curve!" Cas replied in an expert manner, and Jorien only snorted while rolling her eyes. Robin however didn't mind, and when the time came, she had dessert indeed.

When the feast was over at last and the students started filing out of the hall to head to their common rooms, the three girls were among the very last to leave, as were Simon and his friends. The group split up into three segments in the entrance hall, Cas and Jorien heading to the Slytherin common room and the Ravenclaw boys to their own, while Robin wanted to tag along with her roommates for the way down to the office. But she didn't even get to the staircase before she was whisked away from the two girls –who were accustomed to her sudden disappearances by now– and she found herself in a gloomy ground-level hallway she hadn't even known existed up to this point, with a racing heart that only changed the reason for its speeding but not its pace itself when her eyes fell onto Snape two steps away now. Bloody hell… he shouldn't do things like this if he didn't want her to just lose it at some point.

"Was that really necessary?" She huffed in amusement, and couldn't help smiling up at him anyway. "I was just on my way down to the office to find you!"

"That is precisely why it was necessary." He replied calmly, with the barest hint of a not-smirk. "I have to patrol the castle grounds tonight, Minerva asked me to switch places with her. So no sitting in the office for now."

"Lovely." Robin sighed under her breath, crossing her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the cold stone wall behind her. "And here I was, thinking that I would finally get to have coffee with you again after a week of being alone."

"We still can, after patrolling. Are you accompanying me like always?"

"Obviously." She gave him a small smirk once more, leaning her head to the side. "Are you making me coffee afterwards as a fair compensation like always?"

"Obviously." He rolled his eyes in feigned annoyance, which only made Robin grin more. "I must admit, a week without your insufferable self really turned out to be quite dreadful after all."

"Good. I missed you too."

"Is my house still standing?"

"Would it annoy you more if I said yes or no?" She asked innocently, rising her eyebrows once more, and her heart skipped a beat when he actually smirked for real in return. Always a delight to see, no matter how frequently it happened by now when they were alone.

They started sauntering through the hallways then, like they had done in the past school year as well, in search for students breaking curfew or any other inconveniences they could only hope not to encounter. Patrolling really was something Robin couldn't help but wonder about. Usually it meant for one professor to wander the castle alone, in the dark, without anything to do other than trying to make the night pass by as soon as possible. How dreadfully boring that must be; she was glad that she could make the dull task a little better for Snape by joining him in the misery of it at least. That way, they at least could chat and joke and bicker like always, only a bit more quietly. The portraits still grumbled at them from time to time, which however they simply ignored as they moved along. After an hour, they had caught up on the week's few events on either end, and Snape was quite obviously annoyed by the fact that Robin had spent two days without a meal. It took her a good twenty minutes to convince him that it was fine, and even more importantly, that it was in the past now and thus didn't matter anymore. Still, he seemed to be rather upset with himself about the issue, but Robin knew better than to push him, so she merely changed the topic, and eventually they were back to the usual. Other than that the night was considerably eventless.

It was only when they were passing through an almost empty sixth floor hallway when Robin picked up on a noise to her right, thus stopped walking abruptly and listened instead. Snape followed the example an instant later, and they stood in the middle of the hallway for a moment to listen to the silence, until the odd noises picked up again, from behind an inconspicuous door on the wall to their right a bit further down the hallway.

"Isn't that… just a broom closet?" Robin asked in an irritated whisper, frowning to herself first and then at Snape, until her brain made sense of the circumstances and she felt the heat creeping up her neck. "I, uh… I don't think I want to open that door."

"Neither do I." He grumbled in return, glaring at the door as if it would change anything about the awkward situation. "But as it happens to be, I will have to and you do not. So go ahead and spare yourself the embarrassment if you wish to."

"Nonsense. I'm not letting you suffer alone." She was quick to reply, then made the final few steps to stand with her back against the wall across from the door, and the very second Snape had caught up with her, she opened it with a wordless spell. It was ironic, really, that she didn't mind doing uncomfortable things in his place for the sake of sparing him from it.

The door flew open with a start, two startled yelps could be heard, and Robin's eyes fell onto two kids she had never seen before, which meant they had to be in the years below. They were still mostly dressed, it seems, and she was honestly glad for that at least. No need to make things even more awkward for anyone involved. Both the boy and the girl, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff respectively, quickly snapped out of their shock and straightened their clothing before trying to stammer out poor excuses for what they were doing in a broom closet at this time of night. Honestly, Robin just wanted to snort at their words and actions every other second, but she kept a perfect straight face of neutrality as always while Snape held his usual speech about rule-breaking and improper behavior that she had been a witness of often enough at this point. Never on the receiving end, obviously, but they had encountered enough students out of bed during their patrols that by now she could almost mouth along with his words. She only started actually listening again when Snape turned towards her.

"Could you accompany Miss Parlow to Professor Sprout's office?" He asked neutrally, but without the scowl he had directed at the two students a mere moment before. "I will see to it that Mister Sterling finds his way to Professor Flitwick."

"Yes, of course." Robin found herself replying before she thought, and only once she had agreed so easily, she thought that he had never asked her to do this before. It definitely was an act of trust rather than a burden, she knew that, and that's why she was all the more determined to see even this easy task through.

"Who exactly are you anyway?" The Hufflepuff girl eventually asked, as Robin led her through a few more empty hallways. "No offense, but you look like a fifth year, maximum. Why on earth are YOU escorting ME?"

"That isn't of your concern." Robin replied indifferently, and she was glad that she had decided to take a shortcut to Sprout's office. Perhaps she would ask Simon about the girl, they obviously were in the same grade.

"And why on earth would you wander around with Snape at this time, or at any time really? Is this your detention or something?" The girl asked on, and Robin sent her a glare that shut her up instead of answering the questions.

A few minutes later they reached the herbology professor's office, and Robin knocked three times, then waited while the girl by her side grew more and more nervous. When Sprout opened the door at last, Robin gave her a polite smile, then explained the situation shortly and to the point upon which the girl was ushered into the office.

"Thank you, Robin, I will take care of the issue from here right away." Sprout gave her a smile in return at last, while the girl in the office behind her now looked positively startled. "Tell Severus my thanks too, will you?"

"Wait, YOU are Robin? The girl who everyone's been talking about for years?" The girl in the office asked incredulously a second later, and finally she just seemed absolutely horrified. "Oh my god, I'm so sorry about what I said! Please forget I ever said anything at all, I honestly didn't mean to upset you!"

"Seems like you have inherited some of Severus' reputation after all, huh?" Sprout snickered quietly, and Robin almost had to smirk at her words in return.

"Actually, I believe that this was mostly my own doing." She replied under her breath. "Ever since that incident in my fourth year, people have been weary of me, and as it seems, rumours and legend grow stronger over time. I doubt that any of the lower years even knows what it all is about anymore, but that doesn't stop them from believing in my reputation."

"Take it as a gift, dear. It is hard to come by their respect in any way, especially when you're that young yourself." Sprout sighed quietly, then gave Robin another encouraging smile. "Well, anyway, I hope you two have a good night!"

"Likewise, thank you." Robin returned, and only when Sprout shut the door behind herself, leaving Robin alone in the hallway, she frowned at the herbology teacher's words for a moment before finally making her way back through the hallways to where she would meet Snape in the ground-level hallway they had started out in.

But again, Robin didn't get that far; Somehow, people seemed to take joy in disrupting her plans today, and it left her feeling less in control than she would've liked. This time, how could it be any different, it was Morgan who stepped into her way out of nowhere.

"Miss Mitchell, what a delight to have you back at last. For the new term, of course." He smiled at her brightly, and the hairs in Robin's neck stood on high alert in an instant.

"Professor…" She greeted him politely, but when she tried to walk around him while keeping her head low like she ought to, he blocked her way again, this time getting way too close for comfort.

"And where would we be headed?" He inquired in a bright tone as he moved in even closer, making Robin back up until her back hit the wall. Well… damnit.

"I was just on my way back from Professor Sprout's office." She replied truthfully but quietly, in an attempt to keep her facade up and play the submissive little girl. The act still made her feel sick, but she hadn't forgotten their encounter at the ball; it was very much necessary to refrain from fighting back, and she had done a fairly good job at it ever since adoption this strategy.

"I see." He sighed softly, but still refused to back up even a step. He clearly didn't mind invading her personal space, which became all the more obvious when he traced a single finger along her collarbone and down her shoulder. Robin would've very much liked to break his arm for doing that, but such a behaviour unfortunately wouldn't count as laying low. So she only stared at the ground a few steps behind him and tried not to break her act while he spoke. "After making it to honours in herbology and even giving a lecture in front of renowned professionals in the field, I'm sure you can teach Pomona one thing or two…"

"You… you know about the lecture?"

"It was in the news, darling." He purred with a sickening smile. "I still have the article in my rooms… And the picture, of course."

The thought that Morgan had kept a picture of her made Robin feel even more sour than the situation did anyway, and she honestly just wanted to hex him further down the hallway with a single spell and then dash off like her body and mind were telling her to. But that would count as attacking a teacher, and without any witnesses or proof of her story, she would always end up on the losing end of that scenario. Whatever she did, people would believe Morgan's version of it more than hers, more than the truth.

"You have lost some weight since the picture was taken…" He finally spoke on, in a nonchalant tone that still had a cutting edge to it, and at last he removed his hand from her arm. "Say, doesn't Severus feed his little pet enough?"

A cold shudder ran down Robin's spine, at the same time as her stomach churned and her heart stopped for a moment, then started racing. She felt sick now indeed, scared and sick and far too close to panicking. Morgan was obviously playing with her, trying to get a reaction… but she wouldn't give him one. At least not the one she wanted to give, which was precisely the one he wanted to see.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She breathed in sincere fear, which was working in her favor for once. Why cover up something that was helping the act?

"Oh, I'm sure you do." He smiled at her in a mixture of humour and some twisted kind of adoration. "What do you get out of it, huh?"

"I have no idea what you're implying, but whatever it is, you're absolutely wrong. Sir."

"I mean, Miss Mitchell, that he gets a beautiful and spectacularly talented woman all to himself, devoted as you clearly are. But what do you get from him in return?"

"You're wrong…" Robin croaked out in a whisper, but she couldn't even think of anything else to say to defend herself without starting a war right here, right now.

"Don't tell me I wouldn't find his fingerprints on your skin if I were to take a look… Don't tell me you don't want him to save you right now." He hissed, and his hand was back on Robin's shoulder, squeezing painfully like he had all this time ago down by the forest. She winced involuntarily, and squeezed her eyes shut for a moment to keep the gathering tears from spilling over. Perhaps it wasn't so difficult to play scared after all… not when she really was terrified out of her mind for real.

"Let go of me. Please." She tried to get out as calmly as she could, but her shoulder was hurting enough to make her grit her teeth. The pain didn't suffice however for her to miss how his other hand traced her collarbone once again, only to move towards her neck this time. Her urge to fight back grew to the unbearable, and she had to ball up a bunch of fabric of her robes in each hand to keep them at her sides. "You have no right to touch me, nor to threaten me. So, Let. Me. Go."

"You were supposed to be mine, you know…" He sighed sadly, and his fingers traced down Robin's neck, following the thin silver chain of her necklace across her chest to the point where it ran beneath her blouse. Then he tugged the chain up until he held the locket between his fingertips. "It was supposed to be you and I until the end. But Severus just had to get in the way, didn't he? I shall make sure he sees the error in claiming what is mine."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Robin's emotions were finally gaining the upper hand, and her voice shook with anger and fear alike. "But if you try to harm him in any way, I shall make sure that I will be the very end of you."

"Ah, there you finally are again, my dear… I have missed you." Morgan held her gaze with a smirk for a moment, then his eyes traveled down to the locket and inevitably also to her cleavage. "So fierce… So full of passion." With a start he yanked on the necklace, and the thin chain bit deeply into Robin's neck before coming undone.

Damnit, her act was blown, her neck hurting and her shoulder was still trapped in his punishing grip. Robin had given him exactly what he wanted, she knew that, but it was too late to change that now. Even her facades had a breaking point, and Morgan had found it at last. Yet, he still kept her pressed into the wall by her shoulder as he inspected the locket in his hand curiously for a moment, then looked back up at her with a sneer.

"I'm sure you won't mind if I keep this for a while, will you? As a reminder of what ought to inevitably be…"

"Fuck off." Robin hissed in return, dropping every hint of submission to glare up at him in pure hostility. "If you truly believe yourself to be entitled to me in some sickening way, you're even more eaten up by insanity than I thought."

"Insanity is such a vile word, darling… I am dedicated, just like you are. We have more in common than you think."

"You're nothing like me."

"No, I'm certainly not." Morgan chuckled softly and took the last step closer to press Robin into the wall with his own body now. "But that doesn't mean we have nothing in common."

"Get away from me right now or you will regret it." Robin said coldly, and finally released the balled up fabric from her hands. Witnesses or not, she would rather get expelled for attacking a teacher than letting herself be assaulted like this.

"Oh please…" Morgan scoffed in a dismissive tone, and after slipping the necklace into the pockets of his robes, he placed his now free hand against the wall next to Robin's head. "I'm not scared of Severus. And I'm certainly not scared of you."

"You should be." Robin stated under her breath, then focused her entire energy and willpower into a wordless spell that had Morgan flying through the hallway indeed, a good twenty feet even, before he came crashing down on the ground with a gruesome cracking sound.

For a moment he merely groaned and hardly even moved, but Robin still drew her wand from her sleeve and pointed it at the professor in determination to do whatever was necessary to defend herself. No matter what he was about to do now, she wouldn't let him catch her off guard. Not again. But she also wouldn't be the one to attack, not even when he deserved it quite so much at this point. But to her surprise, Morgan simply sat up after a while, hissing in pain, but with the biggest smile on his face.

"This should suffice to get you expelled." He chuckled to himself, overly happy at the prospect, so much so that he simply wouldn't stop grinning.

If anything, this proved Robin right in her assumption that he had been trying to coax such a reaction from her. But then again, she was absolutely certain that his behavior, his words and actions, hadn't been just for show. He wouldn't have bothered to keep her locket if it had been, he merely could've destroyed it or tossed it aside. But he wanted a trophy, and he wanted HER, that much she was certain of now. Only didn't she know what he wanted her for, or why. He certainly despised her, he had absolutely hated her for all these long years, and yet, now, he still wanted her in some twisted way… Robin didn't understand. Not even nearly, not when his behaviour was so different all of a sudden, and yet so very in line with everything that had been in the years before. No, Robin didn't understand at all. But when Morgan scrambled to his feet and limped back towards her, she didn't get the time to think about it any longer.

"A broken bone or two are quite the lovely evidence you presented me with. I shall thank you, my dear." He smiled at her sweetly once more, but stopped a few steps away now that Robin kept her wand pointed at him and bowed ridiculously low before her. How could anyone be like that?! She didn't understand, none of it, but Morgan didn't cease to scare her beyond reason anyhow.

Robin was just about to reply when she heard footsteps approaching quickly from her left, and Morgan seemed to notice them too, for he turned to look right into that direction as well. Three seconds later, Professor McGonagall stepped into the dim light of the few candles that lit up the partial crossing Robin and Morgan were standing in the middle of.

"Oh, Minerva!" Morgan went straight at it, his smile suddenly gone and replaced by a brilliantly feigned pain stricken expression. "Thank God you are here… You have to stop her! I… I think she broke my leg, perhaps my wrist as well, when… when she attacked me!"

McGonagall inspected the scene with wary eyes, taking in Robin's unfaltering grip on her wand that she still kept pointed at Morgan, then her colleague's pity-evoking appearance and pleading eyes. Robin knew that it looked beyond bad for her; what an ironic repetition of the event that had started it all six years ago. The same people, the same situation overall. Morgan was making Robin the villain of his story, himself the obvious victim, and McGonagall had no clue about what had really happened, but she was made to be his judge either way. But honestly, Robin didn't have it in her to defend herself like a bloody child caught in the act anymore. If she was asked for her version of events she would gladly provide it, but she wouldn't try to change opinions that were already forged in stone. If this would mark her fall from grace, she would at least fall with some last scraps of dignity.

______________________________

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halothenthehorns · 3 years

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All in the Family

Chapter 110: The Hogwarts High Inquisitor

After all the general crashing, smashing, and cursing wore off, it was nice to find themselves in a normal part of the castle such as the staff room. A game of chess had been interrupted by Frank, and all the pieces were yelling at him for it, cloaks were hung over the back of a few chairs, a stack of books anyone would peg to be McGonagall's had been overturned, and Professor Sprout had apparently been in the middle of grading a few assignments upon their entrance. Someone had even been reading the paper, Frank noticed as Alice picked up the copy with today's date. He shooed away a pawn that was still berating him and went over to see it had been covering the book, but as he picked it up he looked sharply at her instead as she gasped loud enough to drown out everybody else's mutterings.

Without prompting she read out Umbridge's new position as Hogwarts High Inquisitor, and just what exactly that was. By the end all of them had a nasty pit in their stomach, and Frank was gripping the book like it had toad slime covering it. She'd only been there one week and already had equal power to the Headmaster? What madness was this?

Sirius watched in disgust as Longbottom read the chapter title as repeat of that stupid self-imposed ruling from the toad, but announced the article was read by Harry himself and was forced to reread it, as they all knew the book wouldn't let them skip. It sounded no better the second time, like a worm digging in one ear and down the throat, but sadly gave Sirius's mind a chance to wander and go back to watching Regulus with deep contemplation.

He was chasing the lost chess pieces around, and finally came up with all the white ones, offering Peter a game, who instantly agreed. He watched the two walk away, that pit in his stomach growing.

Some instinct still wanted to go over there and stop this before it went any farther. Logic told him that these two had ended up being Death Eaters without the others' influence, wouldn't them hanging out just fast forward that process?

Then he watched Regulus laugh again, and Peter actually smiled with a kind of pride Sirius couldn't claim to have ever seen.

This whole experience had gone from weird, to kind of cool, to horrifying, to traumatizing, to now just kind of, common place. The last time he'd thought about dealing with Regulus in any capacity had been ages ago now, the Marauders' own business being blown up and finally settling into an uneasy agreement had pushed his brother far from his mind, but now watching the two, he was kicking himself more than ever for it all.

Even being forced into his company Sirius had never properly reached a hand out to Regulus, as Peter himself had once so eloquently put it. He'd begun thinking of his dorm mates as his brothers by the end of second year, and third year had all but confirmed it by the time Regulus walked into school. Peter had even sort of absently replaced Regulus in his mind, the kid brother he could give shit to but nobody else in the world could. James was his equal now, the first to turn to when he had a problem and always had a good solution. Remus even had Regulus' biting sarcasm that he wouldn't let anyone see but his real friends, otherwise he was the face of cool and calm. He'd finally admit to himself watching them now he could have two baby brothers, right?

"Padfoot?" James hopped up on the table beside him where he'd landed and never moved, watching his line of sight. He tried to hide his unease Sirius was scrutinizing the pair again. If Sirius went off again about trying to get them to stay apart, James had no idea how he could step in and stop any of it. He still found it weird himself, but neither was doing any real harm. If anything, James would have to admit the two always seemed in a better mood hanging out with each other.

"It's not too late for us, right James?" He asked quietly, eyes on Moony now as he went over to the cupboard and rubbed his hand thoughtfully along it. Harry and Ron had once hid inside it and listened to the devastating news of Ginny's death and had saved her life in impossible odds.

"No," James said instantly, even if he still wasn't entirely sure what Sirius was getting at. He, as usual, was watching Evans, sitting by Longbottom's feet with Alice and the two whispering suspiciously as Harry's lessons went through without Umbridge, yet, in History of Magic and Potions, though the later of which was still a miserable experience for all.

She hadn't defended Snivellus in some time now, he'd very pleasantly noted, and in fact as talk turned to OWL grades she hadn't even glanced up at the book through the whole class. Maybe she was finally starting to see the git he was?

Then, as the twins arrived, her eyes flickered to him and away so fast, he'd swear his eyes were playing tricks on him. She still thought he was like them, only a troublemaker and nothing more.

He didn't want to open up his own prank shop though. While a worthy cause he'd invest in, he had other goals and aspirations for his life. He'd walked away from his career advice even nurturing the idea of being an Auror. Surely she'd see that as a good thing?

"We've always made our own future," James said practically, now grinning at Moony who was hovering as close to the three as he dared, clearly very invested in this whole teacher grading outcome. None of them acknowledged him, which in itself was a kindness to the fear-filled looks he was probably expecting. "I say we keep doing that."

"Yeah?" Sirius sounded a bit hopeful now. James grinned as he shook his shoulder for emphasis.

"Yeah. You're a bloody impulsive idiot, and I'd never change that, but maybe next time you lay into them, just, think about how bad you felt last time?" He felt stupid putting it as a question, but it was more than obvious Sirius felt bad for something regarding those two in particular. The list of reasons that could be wasn't exactly short, but when James tore his eyes back away to see Sirius honestly considering his words and eyes back on Regulus and Peter, he put it together with Sirius's reaction to Percy's letter.

Sirius wanted to make amends to the two, and he didn't want it to get ripped up in his face.

He tore his eyes away from their game, Peter was winning, and grinned at him. "And you Prongs? Going to put all that practice of annoying Evans finally sink in and try something else?"

"I might," he said honestly, going in vivid detail in his mind over all the times he'd interacted with her, specifically the ones where she hadn't started calling him an arrogant birk. The ones that stuck out were when he'd stopped trying to make her laugh, oddly enough, but had just talked to her. How strange. "Worth a shot."

The two were interrupted by the book, as Umbridge entered Trelawney's class.

"Bet you a galleon someone's going to walk away from this dead," James said uneasily.

Sirius wasn't taking that bet, this was definitely going to be a horror show. It started out memorable enough for sure, Harry giving Ron the task to analyze his dream about drowning Snape gave everyone a grim laugh, even if Lily would deny any such thing. Then Umbridge started asking some routine questions that quickly devolved into Trelawney's shriek of insolence that she could not See upon command. The spectacle finally ended with Trelawney's dour announcement that Harry was to die, again, and honestly it hadn't been as bad as they thought.

"Can I still get that galleon?" Sirius asked.

"No," James huffed.

Umbridge's own lesson in fact ended up being worse, as it ended with Harry in another detention! James snarled in disgust, his hand itching to go for his wand and suspend this woman up by her ankle and leave her there for eternity if she kept doing this to his kid! Sirius was so outraged he stood up on the desk and began shouting several expletives, while Lily let her face fall into her hands. She couldn't stop herself hearing this, but she couldn't keep watching.

"I can't help but be rather impressed with him," Peter said quietly to Regulus as he watched Sirius's face start turning colors. "A lesser man would have backed down after what Harry went through, this kid's still pushing her."

"Being an idiot about it though," Regulus corrected, also frowning in concern at his brother. "You really think getting detentions would change anything but make her happier? Harry would be better off finding some other way to fight back than bowing down." He preferred the idea of getting in her good graces and destabilizing her from the inside.

"It's not as if the Order is exactly sharing how to do that," Peter disagreed, but he could definitely see Regulus's point. Both of them were very aware that if Umbridge were here now, it would be Sirius and James in those detentions and not them.

"Hopefully someone will come up with a better answer for Harry then," Regulus muttered, or the people listening to this were probably going to break the sound barrier first.

Their game forgotten, the two cringed into their seats until Remus finally came over and convinced Sirius to stop threatening for a few breaths or they'd never hear the end of it. Harry's new Quidditch captain and even McGonagall adding insult to injury was improving no one's mood though.

Still, it was nice to see Sirius's temper lash out at someone else for a change, Peter and Regulus even found themselves smiling a bit as the three's not so quiet mutters of what kind of pranks they'd be doing to that Umbridge filtered in the room.

Lily found herself listening grimly to the lot rather than Umbridge and McGonagall's back and forth. It deeply bothered her she found no ill will for listening in detail to their horrible pranking, but was she any better when she'd just been imagining slipping in a slow-acting poison into her next meal?

At least she'd only been imagining it...right? She warred with herself just how far she'd go to put a stop to this, if her own hand was being cut open, if some little first-year's was. The idea of having children was still above her, but she wouldn't deny she felt protective of Harry enough she wasn't going to stop the Marauders if they got the chance of meeting her any time when they got back.

It didn't make their vile ways of doing these kinds of things to anyone that annoyed them any better, especially Sev, but this was also not the first time she understood why they did it. It scared her just as much as her own wavering answer she realized she was actually starting to understand those idiots.

Frank found that things only continued to get worse as Umbridge followed Harry to his next class, Care of Magical Creatures. When Harry was given yet another detention for defending Hagrid from Malfoy's past stupid mistake, he had to fight the urge to join in with Lily this time as she cursed vividly, though not as loudly as Black started doing all over again.

This was beyond disgusting, his Mum would never stand for this happening in Hogwarts! Then Frank looked miserably at Lily, and glanced sadly at the godfather, and reminded himself Harry didn't have anyone to really go to this with.

When Hermione brought up the subject of them just learning Defense Against the Dark Arts straight from Harry, he and Alice exchanged another terrified look. It was such a singular moment to them, they didn't even register anyone else's reaction, this was their own bubble of worry.

Neither had spoken of it because the book itself hadn't, but what if Neville started getting these detentions as well? Was Harry the only one here? Doing this to him was bad enough they already wished someone would step in, but it seemed a disaster waiting to happen if Neville, Ron, Hermione, those twins, and a host of other students were to join Harry.

Frank still remembered Luna Lovegood and Ernie Macmillan declaring themselves publicly believing Harry, and he fidgeted with unease if Harry would still think he was in the right if those around him started suffering his same punishment.

#Harry Potter #fanfiction #reading the books #HP #OotP #Wolfstar #Jilly #James Potter #Marauders #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #Peter Pettigrew #Frank Longbottom #alice Smith #Lily Evans

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fanfictionaries · 4 years

Text

Oh So Many Years: Ch. 5 - It Was You

Pairing: Hermione Granger x Fred Weasley

Summary:

Just when Hermione thought nothing worse could plague her than her constant nightmare, she has a very different kind of dream. How is she ever going to look Ronald in the face again? All she wanted was to do well in her classes, get S.P.E.W. off the ground, and finally get a good nights sleep.

Fred continues to find himself more than amazed at the infinite facets of Hermione Granger.

Warnings: Swearing, Death, Smut/18+ NSFW

Author’s Note: A second update this week because I like you guys so much! :)

I will now be updating this story every week before midnight on Sundays (US MST)! Please feel free to like, comment, and reblog! xoxo

Masterlist

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Moments fall like crimson nights Some stick to my skin tonight Take a breath and shake them off Eyes ahead, don't you wait too long

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“If I have to write one more word about the goblin rebellions, I think I might off myself.” Ron threw down his quill, ink splotching across this parchment, and let his head fall into his hands.

“Be careful. If you do, I guarantee Professor Trelawney will say she predicted it all along because Venus was in retrograde and you’re a Pisces,” Harry responded flatly, resulting in a smile from Ron.

Hermione would never admit it, but she secretly agreed with Ron. While not quite as distressed as her ginger friend, she did find the weekly essays assigned by Professor Binns tedious and incredibly lacking in challenge. Perhaps she found the whole thing tiresome because she already knew everything there was to know about the goblin rebellions, but it also didn’t help that the ghostly professor was about as exciting as an old shoe.

“Hermione…” Ron drew out her name like he had just come to an idea. Hermione, very familiar with this tone, knew exactly what his idea was.

“No,” she responded sternly, scribbling away at her own parchment about the various defense tactics utilized by the goblins.

“Pleeeaaase?”

“No.”

“Pleeeeeeaaaaaaase?”

She sighed. “I will edit and revise Ronald Weasley, and nothing more.”

“You’re the best, honestly.” Ron grinned and picked up his quill again, dipping it in his ink and scribbling away with renewed energy. His stupid grin made Hermione smile and roll her eyes before returning to her own essay. While she wished that Ron and Harry could just do their own work themselves, she did realize that not everyone had the discipline that she had. However, that didn’t mean she had to stop trying to get them to work harder. She knew for a fact that their potential far exceeded their marks.

They worked in silence for a while, the scratching of quill on parchment and shuffle of students walking past filling Hermione’s ears as her brain turned over, pulling out fact after fact.

In a blazing sense of pride, she finished her last sentence, tying her conclusion together perfectly, and placed her quill down on the table. At the click, both Ron and Harry looked over to her with wide eyes of disbelief.

“You’re finished already?” gaped Harry.

“I’ve barely gotten three paragraphs written. How can you possibly be finished already?!” exclaimed Ron. Hermione shushed him, glancing over at Madame Pince’s disapproving glare.

“Some of us, Ronald, utilize our time efficiently,” Hermione responded coolly as she placed her things back into her bag. She didn’t bother mentioning that she spent her last three hours in the library as opposed to their meager thirty minutes, or that she took her break after morning Transfiguration to study as well. Her eyes itched from staring at off-white pages and black script and for once she finished all her work and read ahead in all her classes. It probably had something to do with the fact that she was attending five less classes than the previous year.

There was also the small fact that she no longer slept. Nearly a month into school and she still barely slept four hours a night. When panic inducing nightmares weren’t causing her to toss and turn, she was studying. And when she wasn’t studying, she was working on her new endeavor – the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, otherwise known as S.P.E.W. Ever since the Quidditch World Cup and the horrid treatment of Winky, the house elf, she knew she had to do something. This became even more clear when she found out Hogwarts was run almost entirely on house elf labor. In all her years never did she imagine that her beloved school used essentially slavery to cook and clean. It was wrong. It was barbaric. One would assume that in a world filled with magic, where one was only limited to the bounds of one’s imagination, they would be a bit more progressive. Unfortunately, though, it seemed to be the opposite. In fact, Hermione had never met a group of people so routed in their ways as the wizarding world. Of course, it would be foolish to assume that an entire world would be impermeable to prejudices when the muggle world was not.

Therefore, where all of her time was normally spent in the Gryffindor common room with Harry and Ron or watching the Gryffindor quidditch team practice on the pitch, she now spent it nose deep in a book or attempting to recruit new S.P.E.W. members. Her absence had not gone unnoticed – in fact, it became so blatantly clear that Harry confronted her outright between Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures.

“I don’t understand Hermione, is it something I’ve done?” Harry ran a hand through his unruly locks, distress obvious on his face.

“No, it’s nothing you’ve done Harry,” Hermione picked at her nails, feeling uncomfortable.

“Was it, Ron? I’m sure whatever he said, he didn’t mean it.” Hermione ignored the grating irritation at Harry’s blind defense of Ronald.

“No, it’s not Ron.”

“Then what? Come on Hermione, you know you can tell me anything.”

Hermione looked at her best friend and sighed. His kind eyes shone from behind his round spectacles with sincerity and concern.

“I’m not avoiding you or Ron. I’m just stressed about our O.W.L.s next year—" she paused “—You can never be too prepared, and I need to do well on them.”

Harry looked at her with a confused expression, “Hermione, they’re not for another year! Are you seriously stressing over something so far away?”

“Yes? No? I guess…I guess I’m just used to studying all the time. You know, what with the time-turner last year and all. And then of course there’s S.P.E.W. No one seems to care at all that these poor elves are being worked day and night without any pay. I mean, it’s horrendous!” Hermione half-lied, feeling stupid as the words left her mouth. She wanted to be honest with Harry, but she didn’t know how. The real reason felt stupid. What was she to say? Sorry I’ve thrust myself into my work more than ever Harry; I just can’t stop having nightmares about something that happened nearly two months ago and I’m trying to distract myself.

She felt a hand on her shoulder, “I get it.”

“You do?” His remark caught her off guard as she wasn’t even sure if she understood it.

“You’re an absolute swot. Don’t get me wrong, we all love that about you, but you need to learn when to relax and have some fun,” Harry finished with a grin.

“You prat—” Hermione hit his arm with the back of her book “—Don’t call me a swot. But you’re right. I need balance.”

“And I guess as appointed Secretary of S.P.E.W., I could do a bit more for the cause.”

Hermione lit up at the words. “Really? Oh Harry, thank you so much! I’m making more buttons tonight, maybe you could help me? Then tomorrow we can try and canvas some of the other houses for new members!”

“Well, if you’re so efficient, you should be able to help me finish mine!” argued Ron desperately, bringing Hermione back to the present.

“Ronald, I told you before. I’m not doing your assignment for you. You have to learn it on your own,” she whispered.

“When am I ever going to need to know about all the goblin leaders? Besides, you like doing this sort of stuff.”

“Ronald, I said n—”

“Lovers’ quarrel?”

Merlin, Hermione thought at the sound of unified voices. Rolling her eyes, she turned to see Fred and George standing behind her.

“Hey Fred, hey George,” Harry greeted them cheerfully, placing his quill down – happy for an excuse to stop working.

“Hullo Harry,” they responded in unison.

“Any progress on entering our names for the tournament?” Ron asked expectantly. Much to Hermione’s disproval, Fred and George promised him a try at whatever they whipped up as soon as they knew it was successful, and Ron had not stopped talking about it.

“We’re nearly there,” George grinned.

“So, we’ll know in about two days whether it works or not,” said Fred, leaning against a bookshelf casually. Two days? Hermione thought with alarm. Was it really the 29th of October already? That meant the students from Beauxbaton and Durmstrang, the other competing schools, were to arrive tomorrow evening! She needed to go back to her dormitory and rework her schedule. She had no room to pencil in excitement and new student arrival that week. She opened her planner to begin revising.

“How confident are you that it’ll work?” asked Ron, leaning forward in excitement.

“Extremely,” the twins answered.

Hermione let out an indecent snort and rolled her eyes again. Fools.

“Something you’d like to add Granger?” asked George, looking over at her.

“Yes, hullo to you also. So nice of you to acknowledge us in a friendly manner,” accused Fred sarcastically.

“I think some lessons are best learned through experience, rather than lecture,” said Hermione, carefully picking her words before tucking her planner into her bag and slinging it over her shoulder.

“But you love to lecture us, are you sure you aren’t raring to tell us how wrong we are?” asked Fred, fluttering his eyelashes sweetly.

Hermione gave a short laugh, “Please. I know a lost cause when I see one.”

“A lost cause? You hear that Georgie? We’re a lost cause.”

“I don’t know…sounds to me like she’s just afraid of a challenge Freddie.”

“It’s not a challenge if all I’m doing is slowly melting my brain trying to reason with the pair of you,” scoffed Hermione.

“Oh, I can melt your brain just fine, if that’s what you’d like,” stated Fred, stepping forward cockily.

“Is your wit really so primitive that you have to resort to sexual innuendo all the time?” Hermione asked, her heart rate picking up in her chest as their conversation turned more heated.

“Sexual innuendo? I have no idea what you’re referring to Granger. I was merely saying I might be smarter than you think. Are you sure you aren’t projecting a bit there?”

“You’re a child,” Hermione bit back, feathers ruffled that Fred seemed to be over his initial shock response to her comebacks and instead was meeting her beat for beat. His eyes held a shine to them as he smiled down at her in excitement.

“Resorting to name-calling now? I thought higher of you,” sighed Fred, tapping the end of her nose condescendingly. Hermione batted his hand away, feeling her hair begin to crackle. She was getting too upset. She needed to calm down and show him that she was better than him.

Taking a small, calming breath, she straightened her posture before replying, “That doesn’t surprise me Frederick. I’m sure it’s easy to think highly of me when your potential is so low.”

Hermione took that moment to make her exit. Turning on her heel, she walked out of the library, not bothering to say goodbye to anyone. A warm flush covered her face and bled down her neck as she scurried through the halls. Adrenaline pumped through her system. Despite his ample fight, she felt quite confident that she won the battle. His lack of biting response as she left, supported as much. Departing before he could speak might have been a cheap way to go about it, but she reasoned there was no clean way to fight when it came to the Weasley twins. A small giggle bubbled up in her chest as she replayed the conversation in her head. Invigorated by the whole event, she ran the rest of the way to the Gryffindor tower. Rounding corners and sprinting up staircases, exhaustion filled her small frame by the time she came upon the portrait of the Fat Lady. Her lungs ached from the exercise and her shoulder and back ached from the heavy books weighing her bag down. She gasped the password through pants and entered as she tried to catch her breath. Fellow Gryffindors cast odd looks in her direction as she scurried up the stairs to the girls’ dormitories, but she didn’t care. Her room was empty and for that she was grateful. The last thing she wanted was a forced conversation with Lavender or Pavarti. Perhaps the physical exertion would act as a sleeping agent and she would finally fall into a deep and peaceful sleep. Best to ride the wave and go to bed while I’m still tired¸ she thought. Sluggishly, she changed out of her uniform and crawled into bed. Nagging thoughts tugged at the back of her mind, telling her to brush her teeth, but the exhaustion in her body told her to sleep. Ultimately her body won, and sleep took over.

Hermione’s mind swam the next day as she sat in double potions with the Slytherins. It was nearing the end of class and Professor Snape was taking the time to explain to them why their potions had been improperly brewed in one way or another. Hermione’s hadn’t of course, but that didn’t stop him from berating her for being an ‘insufferable little know-it-all’, and then accusing her of helping any student that didn’t manage to burn a hole in their cauldrons. She diligently took notes as Snape droned on and on, but her mind failed to connect to the words she was writing down on the parchment. All thoughts and worries were currently focused on an embarrassing personal crisis. The dream.

While Hermione thought nightmares were the worst thing, she could possibly endure in her sleeping state, she had to admit she had been wrong. No, apparently there was something much, much worse stewing in her brain waiting for vulnerable unconsciousness to leap out and take form.

She had been in the library, wandering through the sections of towering shelves when she appeared in a section, she was unfamiliar with. Turning a corner her eyes grew wide at the sight of two older students locked in an intimate embrace. Her heart started to race, and her breathing began to pick up as she felt a tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. She tried to leave but found herself unable to move – her feet glued to the floor. That’s when she felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and a pair of lips kissing up her neck. Her hands went up, one grabbing at the fingers that dug roughly into her flesh and the other threading itself through long thick hair. She turned her head only to see that the hair between her fingers was a brilliant shade of ginger. The realization was so shocking to her that she awoke from her dream, sitting ramrod straight – heart pounding, sweat-slicked, and breathing heavily.

Her face blushed just thinking about it. Turning her head casually to the right, she spied one of her best friends. Ronald Weasley sat next to Harry, slumped forward in his seat, head resting in his hand. His long hair hung way past his eyes, concealing them completely. Hermione, knowing Ron, would bet on her life that they were closed, and he was verging on sleep. She knew he wasn’t fully asleep though, because if he were there would be loud snores coming from his direction. Him. He was the one her mind decided to fantasize about. Why? She studied him, her eyes tracing the freckles on the bridge of his nose. He wasn’t bad looking; she always quite liked his hair and pale complexion. He had a kind heart and could be quite charming when he wanted to be, the problem was that rarely did he want to be. He could be quite cruel and insensitive without knowing it, and he didn’t care for much other than Quidditch. Is that really what she wanted in a partner? Hermione scoffed at her mental ramblings. Here she was, wondering if Ronald Weasley were her potential first love without considering that he would probably never be interested in her. After all, her hair was a bushy, frizzy mess, her teeth were far too big for her mouth, and her otherwise plain features left much to be desired. Not to mention her overall swotty personality. Still, hadn’t he told her that she was ‘the best’? And he certainly didn’t mind being her friend. What if he did like her?

“Miss Granger, is there something on Mr. Weasley’s face that’s so interesting that you cannot be bothered to pay attention?” The sound of Professor Snape’s voice brought Hermione out of her thoughts, and she looked up to find all eyes on her. The Slytherins snickered around her, and Ron and Harry looked at her in surprise. Hermione felt her face flush with embarrassment.

“No Professor, my apologies,” she mumbled, looking down at her notes.

“Five points from Gryffindor for Miss Granger’s lack of interest. Class dismissed,” snipped Professor Snape as he turned towards his office. Hermione packed her bag and exited the classroom as quickly as possible.

“What was that all about?” Harry asked, him and Ron catching up to her with ease.

“Sorry guys, I got lost in thought and didn’t realize where I was looking. I guess I should have been paying attention,” Hermione stammered, readjusting her bag on her shoulder.

“No problem Hermione. Snape’s a git and no one blames you. I was almost asleep near the end there too,” Ron piped in with a friendly smile. Hermione felt her stomach flip.

“Thanks Ronald.” She smiled back.

“Looks like we’ve got ourselves a couple of love birds, boys,” Draco Malfoy sneered as he came up beside them. “When’s the wedding? I’m sure it’ll be just lovely, or at least as lovely as five knuts’ll get you.”

Hermione scowled at the silver-hair bully, with all his sharp pointed features and disgustingly greasy demeanor, as he laughed along with his goons. She rolled her eyes and grabbed both Harry and Ron by the arm, leading them on towards the front of the castle. Ridiculous. That’s what she was being. It was ridiculous to waste her time worrying about some absurd dream when that’s all it was – a dream. Besides, she didn’t know for certain it was Ron who she dreamed about. There were plenty of red heads in the world.

Outside the main entrance they found Ginny next to Neville in a crowd of students.

“Did we miss anything?” asked Ron, looking excitedly about.

“Nothing yet, you’ve made it just in time I think!” Ginny exclaimed in glee. The castle was in a fit of excitement. Even the Slytherins, who didn’t find much joy in anything school related, seemed to be chomping at the bit for their guests to arrive and the Triwizard Tournament to finally take off. Hermione, too, was excited but more at the thought of getting to meet students from other magical schools. She had taken the liberty of reading as much as she could on the histories of both Durmstrang and Beauxbaton and was informing Ginny on their key similarities and differences when several gasps and shouts erupted around them.

“Look!” Ginny yelled, pointing up at the sky above them. Hermione followed her finger upwards to see a large horse-drawn carriage flying through the clouds, pulled by a dozen flying horses the size of elephants. She watched as they soared through the air, their wings pumping up and down in synchronization. The size of the horses was comparable to what they were pulling, for as it got closer, Hermione estimated the carriage to be at least twice the size of her home back in Hampstead. The carriage floated prettily, a pale cream embellished with pastel blue designs and gold trim. Obviously of French provincial style, she concluded that this was clearly the Beauxbaton students. So enthralled by the ornate and bordering ostentatious carriage and the horses pulling it, Hermione failed to notice heads turning and mouths gaping at the Black Lake. In fact, her gaze only broke away from the magnificent beasts when Ron elbowed her from behind. She turned to scold him, but caught her tongue when she noticed a daunting, black ship floating on the lake. It rocked back and forth, sending large waves crashing away from it on the usually glass-smooth surface. Hermione thought it very much resembled what happened when you dropped a large rock into a pond and wondered how it got there. Someone was sure to tell her later – there were plenty of witnesses.

“Way to make an entrance!” exclaimed Ron, followed by loud whoops and cheers as he clapped.

“A bit flashy, if you ask me,” Pansy Parkinson sniffed from a nearby group of Slytherins.

“She’s one to talk,” Hermione mumbled under her breath.

“Hah!” a boisterous laugh sounded behind her. Hermione swiveled and caught a pair of hazel eyes looking at her.

Fred leaned towards her. “Nice one Granger,” he complimented over the babble of conversation around them. His warm breath fell on her neck, all too reminiscent of her dream. Her body jerked to attention, heat creeping up her face before she smiled politely and turned away from the older boy.

“They’re coming up to the entrance!” Seamus Finnigan announced. Hermione thanked Merlin for the distraction and looked down the path leading to the front of the castle. Sure enough, there was a large group of individuals walking towards them. As they neared, the Hogwarts students cheered and applauded them, trying to welcome the foreign students like Professor Dumbledore advised. Hermione clapped softly as the first students approached. A tall and unsettling man led the group. His dark hair, speckled with bits of silver, sat heavy on his head, slicked back from his angular face. The sharp features and the long, grey goatee gave him an ominous appearance fueled even further by the deep scowl set into his mouth and piercing black eyes. He wore midnight black robes paired with a brilliantly white fur pelt over his shoulders. Igor Karkaroff. Headmaster of Durmstrang. The students behind him wore robes of deep crimson, the color sharing an eerie resemblance to the color of blood. Like their headmaster, they too donned thick furs to fight the crisp cold, only theirs held a rich color of brown. They looked incredibly warm. Subconsciously, Hermione pulled her wool robes closer around her as a strong breeze blew around them.

“Bloody hell! It’s him!” Ron shouted, his voice taking on a hysterical tone.

“Who?” asked Harry.

“Victor Krum! It’s Victor Krum! Right there in the front!” Ron pushed himself forward and past Hermione to get a better look at the famous Quidditch player coming towards them. With Ron’s tall figure in front of her, she failed to confirm whether the Bulgarian seeker truly lead the group of Durmstrang students. Ron’s excitement only increased as the visiting students got closer and then passed them into the castle.

“Ronald! I can’t see!” Hermione pounded lightly on Ron’s back with her fists until he snapped out of his star struck trance. The ginger boy turned around, a sheepish grin across his face.

“Sorry about that Hermione. Here.” Awkwardly, Ron shifted over and led Hermione to the front by her waist. For the second time that afternoon a Weasley boy reminded her of her dream, Ron’s touch all too like the arms that held her sensually the night before. She took a small step forward, putting distance between herself and Ron’s grasp. The students from Beauxbaton were the next to make their way down the path. The crowd gawked at the elegant French students as they walked poised and beautiful down the cobblestone in their blue silk uniforms. Hermione, on the other hand couldn’t help but find them annoying. They shivered and chattered their teeth in such an exaggerated manner and looked up at the castle with such disgust and judgement that she immediately took a disliking to them.

“For Merlin’s sake! It’s not that cold,” Hermione groaned as the boys and girls huddled together for warmth. Hermione thought them incredibly rude and found it idiotic that they did not think to wear warmer robes. However, someone in their party evidently had sense, as their headmistress sauntered up the path in a heavy shawl, completely unbothered by the cold. Although, Hermione wasn’t sure anything could bother the woman as she stood twelve feet tall and sturdy. A neutral expression, bored some might even call it, covered her face and despite her size, she too glided gracefully across the ground. As they walked past, Hermione could hear little bits and pieces of snide remarks from the Beauxbaton students. Apparently, they thought Hogwarts would be much nicer than it was. Hermione couldn’t believe her ears. She assumed that as guests, they would have much better manners.

“Honestly, can you believe that rubbish?” Hermione exclaimed, turning to Ron and Harry behind her. Instead of meeting commiserating sentiments like she expected, the pair continued to stare at the Beauxbaton students until they disappeared completely into the castle. Their mouths hung open widely, making them look quite dumb, and Hermione turned to Ginny with a questioning look. Ginny shrugged, also confused over her brother and Harry’s behavior.

Hermione waved her hand in front of the pairs’ faces.

“Hullo! Are you two listening to me?” she asked, frowning.

“Bloody hell, did you see her?” Ron asked, in more of a trance than when he saw Krum.

“Yeah…” Harry said dreamily.

“See who?” Hermione questioned. What was wrong with them? They hadn’t acted like this since…oh goodness. Not since the Veelas at the Quidditch World Cup.

“Ahhhh it seems our poor baby brother has fallen victim,” George stated woefully, placing a hand on Hermione’s shoulder. She looked up at him and then back down at his hand.

“Why are you fine?” she asked, shrugging off his hand.

“Oh, Alicia and Angelina were sure to snap us out of it,” Fred stated, then placing his hand on her shoulder.

“And how exactly did they do that?” She raised an eyebrow, shrugging off his hand as well.

“Like this!” the twins shouted before reeling back and smacking both Harry and Ron in the back of the head. The two fourth year Gryffindors yelled out in pain, grasping at their heads before spinning around and glaring at Fred and George.

“What the hell was that for?!” Harry barked.

“You were drooling mates,” George smirked.

“And it’s time to go back in,” Fred pointed behind them at the entrance to the castle where most of the students were filing through already.

They followed the crowd back into the castle and through the corridor into the Great Hall. It seemed the Durmstrang students took a special liking to the Slytherins as almost all of them were seated at their table. The Beauxbaton students seated themselves at the Ravenclaw table, much to Ronald’s disdain. And it was Ronald’s unhappiness that also fueled Hermione’s sore mood as well. Silently she ate her dinner and watched as Ron fawned and drooled and ogled the girls from Beauxbaton for the entirety of the night. When a particularly pretty one approached their table asking him for the bouillabaisse, Ron was left speechless.

“Honestly, Ronald. She’s just a girl. You know, like every other girl in this school. Including myself,” Hermione tried to reason with him.

Eyes still trained on the French beauty, Ron responded with incredulity, “That’s ridiculous Hermione. She’s no girl. That right there is a woman. Leagues above any girl here at Hogwarts.”

A woman? What did that even mean? She was only a few years older than Hermione. She didn’t even look that much older. Hermione turned her attention back to the food on her plate and found that she had lost her appetite. So instead, she pulled a book from her bag and buried herself behind it, slowly sinking lower into her seat as the night went on. She missed the moment they revealed the cup that competitors were to put their name in, too engrossed in the words on the page, and when dinner was over, she was the first to leave the Great Hall. Only, she didn’t head straight for the common room like she usually did. Instead, her feet carried her through the castle until she found herself in the library once again. As she seated herself in her favorite corner, she was reminded of something Professor Trelawney had said her third year. ‘Oh you may be young in years, but the heart that beats beneath your bosom is as shriveled as an old maid’s, your soul as dry as the pages of the books to which you so desperately cleave.’

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“Another potion successfully made brother.” Fred grinned, stretching the muscles in his neck and back.

Fred and George Weasley currently sat in an abandoned classroom as they finished the answer to all their problems. Well past curfew, the pair had just filled two vials with the clear aging potion and capped them triumphantly.

“I’d say that one was particularly easy, wouldn’t you?” George replied, standing up.

“As easy as beating Percy in a game of wits.”

“Off to bed then?”

“Actually, I think I may pop down to the kitchen and grab myself a bite to eat. Clean up here?” Fred asked, motioning around the room. The classroom was their own personal haven; tucked away in an old corner of the castle that few ventured it was their go-to space for all their inventing and brewing needs. It was only thanks to their time with the Marauder’s Map that they knew about it.

“Yeah. See you in the morning Freddie.” George waved goodbye as Fred exited the classroom and headed down towards the kitchens. The low light of the hallway candles washed the castle in a soft glow that contrasted with the icy chill of nighttime. The castle was always cold at night. However, the frigid temperature didn’t bother Fred Weasley as much as usual that night. He was far too excited to be bothered by much of anything, really. Tomorrow was the big day. They were going to enter their names into the Goblet of Fire, and it was going to be glorious. Fred had no idea if one of them would even be picked to compete, but just the idea of winning the prize money was enough to keep a spring in his step and a surge of determination coursing through his veins.

He kept quiet as he tip-toed through the halls, just in case Filch was lurking around corners. Turning down the last corridor he was surprised to see, not the scraggly old Mr. Filch, but the familiar figure of a bushy-haired fourth year. Hermione Granger stood in front of a picture on the wall, the torches in front of her illuminating her and making her hair glow like an ethereal halo.

“Hermione?”

She spun around, glancing back and forth, looking like a frightened animal. Fred stepped closer, out of the shadows so she could see him more clearly. He watched her relax, her shoulders dropping from her ears and slumping forward. She laughed lightly.

“Merlin’s beard, Frederick! You scared me!” Hermione exclaimed with an edge of relief in her voice.

“Shhhh!” Fred hushed her, rushing forward, and covering her mouth with his hand. “Do you want to wake the whole castle with your yelling or just Filch in particular?”

Hermione’s eyes widened in alarm. She stiffened beneath him, the two of them silently listening for any signs of Filch or his wretched cat, Mrs. Norris. When Fred failed to hear anything, he let out a breath of relief and looked down at the little witch in his arms. Suddenly he was awash with the memory of the last time the two of them had been that close. The night in the forest when they were hiding for their lives. He removed his hand and stepped back.

“I didn’t realize it was so late. I was coming back from the library and decided to go for a bit of a walk,” whispered Hermione, looking up at him under the glowing light of the torches. “How are we going to get back to the tower without being seen?”

“Simple. I know a shortcut. Come on.” Fred grabbed Hermione’s hand, pulling her along with him down the corridor. Her hand was small and cold but fit surprisingly well in his own. His stomach growled, and mournfully he thought of the late-night snack he originally set out to get. He continued down the halls at a quick pace until they reached the tapestry he had been looking for. Tapping his wand five times at its center, he pulled back the tapestry to reveal a hidden passageway. He let go of Hermione’s hand and the two slipped behind the tapestry, letting it fall back into place behind them.

“Lumos,” Fred spoke softly, lighting the dark space with the tip of his wand.

“Amazing, this must be one of the secret passageways on the Marauders’ Map,” marveled Hermione.

They made their way down the narrow passage, taking up a leisurely pace, not feeling the pressure of getting caught by Filch or his cat. The shuffling of their feet on the cold stone filled the silent space around them as they climbed up stairways and weaved around corners. As they walked, a nagging thought pricked at the back of Fred’s mind until he couldn’t help but voice it.

“So, walks about the castle past curfew. I didn’t take you for the type Granger,” Fred teased. Hermione let out a loud and vulgar scoff. Fred turned, looking down at her incredulously, “What’s that supposed to mean?”

The young witch lifted her chin in indignation, “What sort of type did you take me for?”

Fred shrugged, “You know, the good girl type. Doesn’t get into trouble. Doesn’t break rules. Perfect Prefect material.”

“I’ll have you know I break plenty of rules.”

“Yeah, but only when it’s Harry or Ron’s idea,” pressed Fred, hoping to goad her into revealing something he didn’t already know.

“That’s not true!” She turned her head and glared at him.

“No, don’t believe it.” Fred shook his head.

“Well, believe it because it’s true.”

“Prove it.”

“Prove it?”

“Yeah, tell me one rule that you’ve broken that wasn’t Harry or Ron’s idea.” He glanced at the younger witch out of the corner of his eye. Her brows were scrunched together, her pink lips pouting as she thought. Then her face opened in excitement, eyebrows lifting and mouth opening, revealing her large front teeth below her upper lip.

“In first year, it was my idea for Harry to sneak into the restricted section of the library over Christmas holiday,” she stated proudly.

“That doesn’t count! You only thought of the idea; you made Harry do all the dirty work,” countered Fred.

“Alright, in second year I brewed Polyjuice in the girl’s lavatory and nicked lacewing flies from Professor Snape’s office to do it,” said Hermione triumphantly as they reached the end of the passageway, coming out the other side right next to the portrait of the Fat Lady. Hermione spun around, crossing her arms in front of her as she waited for his response.

“Who’d have thought that the Hermione Granger was such a delinquent,” praised Fred, grinning widely. He was truly impressed. He had no idea that the bright little witch had it in her to steal from a teacher.

Hermione sniffed haughtily. “That’ll teach you to underestimate me, Frederick Weasley,” she stated coolly, but her golden brown eyes shown with flee, like he had just given her the best compliment in the world. He then watched in awe as she turned around, mutter the password, and disappeared through the portrait into Gryffindor tower.

“It sure will Granger, it sure will.”

Chapter 6 >>

Taglist:

@theworldisugly-22

#fremione #fred x hermione #fred weasley #hermione granger #slow burn #fan fic #fan fiction #harry potter

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heistmaster69 · 4 years

Text

pariet lilium (3)

pariet lilium by @heistmaster69 chapter 3

I cannot believe all the love this is getting! also, let me know I anything is confusing because I do not have beta readers, and my brain gets a Lil scrambly sometimes but ily all-mwah!

tw: self loathing and jealousy. too much pining that’s just ignored on both ends. overuse of italics. BLOOD FROM AN INJURY AT THE END.

chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 4

After what had happened, Draco and Frankie couldn’t sleep, so they sat in a plush nook lined with green pillows and velvet blankets in the Common room, lit by the silver moonlight. Frankie laid her head in his lap as they spoke.

“In there,” Draco began. “You said you had been studying this for years. What exactly?”

“You remember Kendra?” She began.

“She was your tutor, right? Hired by-”

“Don’t say their names, please.” She interrupted, gripping his forearm

“Your parents?” His eyes widened. “May I ask why?”

“They were crap parents” Frankie paused. “They don’t deserve it.” She said with a chuckle. “Anyway, Kendra taught me about spell creating when I was about six, and I still think it’s the coolest thing in the world.”

“You wanted to reverse the Killing Curse.”

“All three. Plus the Memory Charm.”

“Wow.” Draco began running his fingers through Frankie’s hair, fiddling with the dark strands. “You think it’s possible?”

“I know it is. I figured it out this year. I just don’t know how to actualize the spell just yet.”

“You are amazing, Chess.” He whispered.

“I know.” She giggled. Realizing the position they was in, Frankie felt her face get hot. She cleared her throat and sat up. “So, Malfoy. Call me crazy, but I’ve seen how you look at Cher. How’s that going?” It hurt to ask, but Frankie saw how he looked at her. She knew.

“What do you mean?” Draco scoffed. She could see his walls slam back up in an instant.

“Malfoy. Come on. You like her!” Frankie lightly punched his arm.

“Psh. No.”

“Malfoy...”

“No!” He snapped. “I don’t like her, Chess, c’mon.”

“Wow, sorry.” She sighed. “But you have been awfully chipper recently. Haven’t seen you bothering perfect Granger in weeks.”

“You really hate her, don’t you.”

“I wouldn’t say hate, exactly. Just a strong dislike. She just has to be so perfect all the time and she gets all the credit when Cher and I are above her in classes.” Frankie cleared her throat before continuing. “You are too! Like, she’s smart and all, but it just bothers me how pretty and perfect she is. All while friends with Wonder Boy Potter. She got hot last summer and now everyone is drooling over her. Blaise even is! It’s just frustrating how someone can be so much better than you in almost every way.”

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous of Granger.” He rolled his eyes.

“Dr-Malfoy. You’ve seen her. How could I not be?”

“Shut up. You’re fishing for compliments.” He shoved her shoulder.

“Okay, no? Telling the truth is not fishing for compliments. I swear if I didn’t hate her so much I’d be in love with her.” They shared a laugh a laugh before Draco said;

“You shouldn’t be jealous-”

“Okay I’m gonna stop you right there.” Frankie tutted. “I really don’t want to hear it.”

He tipped his head, a confused look in his gray eyes.

“I-nothing.” She scrambled out of the nook, dying to escape from what she knew would be an interrogation. “Goodnight, Malfoy.”

“You’re not getting away that easy.” He spun her around, placing both hands on her shoulders.

She quickly maneuvered out of his grasp. “Don’t make me say it.” She whispered, unable to meet his gaze. “Please.”

“But why? I’d never judge you, you’re my best friend. And I tell you all my secrets, I told you the time I got a boner from-” Frankie interrupted just rambling with a laugh. She tried to lighten up the atmosphere with a joke;

“We don’t need to hear the boner story again. And fine. I’ll tell you if you promise not to be weird about it.”

“There’s nothing to be weird about.” Oh, Draco.

“Okay.” Frankie took a few steps away. A smirk growing on her face. “Just kidding!” She sprinted towards the dorms, giggling.

“Hey!” He chuckled quietly to himself, watching her as she went away. “Good night, Chess.”

Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god. ohmygodohmygod.

She had almost said it. She had almost told him.

I like it too much when you tell me I’m beautiful.

I like you too much.

The students shuffled along the stone path towards Hagrid’s Hut. The sun was high in the sky, yet the air had a chill regardless. Trelawney had spouted off some random omen that Wonder Boy was in danger, but honestly, when is he not?

Draco always had to pull something. His stupid dementor jokes on Harry, albeit funny, were a little mean. She had to stifle her laughs.

Merlin, that smirk. It would raise hell one day. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him as he challenged Harry. When did he get so attractive? The way he sauntered up to Harry with that stupid grin on his face made her heartbeat quicken. She had to look away.

The forest was beautiful. Frankie couldn’t help herself from just staring at the way the sun shone through the treetops, gorgeous golden rays illuminating her freckled face

“Everyone gather round the fence here. That’s right. Make sure you can see.” Hagrid shouted, a sheen of sweat on his forehead. The group of students shuffled around the paddock. “Now, first thing you’ll want to do is open yer’ books.”

“How?” Draco sneered while Crabbe and Goyle laughed. They laugh at everything he says, those goons. They can be sweet when they’re on their own, though. Goyle can make a mean chocolate chip cookie.

“Aye?” Hagrid grunted.

“How do we open our books.” Malfoy drawled, a firm scowl in his face.

How can this boy constantly pull 180s? Doesn’t he get tired?

“Hasn’t anyone been able to open their books?” Hagrid asked nervously. “You’ve got to stroke ‘em!”

A few students let out an Oh, but Frankie just sighed. “Oh how silly we’ve all been. We should’ve stroked them.” Draco scoffed.

How were they supposed to know? One thing caught her eye. Draco Malfoy took out two of his fingers, adorned with his family ring, and slowly stroked the spine of his Monster Book Of Monsters. Now that was a sight to see. Hagrid mumbles something to Granger that Frankie couldn’t hear, but Draco did.

“Oh tremendously funny. Really witty giving us books that try and rip our hands off.” Draco said.

“Shut up Malfoy.” Wonder Boy Potter here to save the day.

“He does have a point, though. Sorry Hagrid, the book went straight for my throat when I tried to read it. Malfoy here might’ve saved my life.”

“I thought you were better than that, Reed. You can shut your arse up too.” Potter glared at Frankie, making her shrink behind Draco.

“Don’t talk to her like that.” Draco

“Whatever, just keep you and your girlfriend’s noses out of my buisnees.” Girlfriend.

“She’s not-”

“He’s not-”

They looked at each other with flushed faces. Hagrid went to fetch the magical creatures, leaving an uncomfortably hostile tone around the students.

“God this place is going to the dogs.” Draco laughed. “That oaf teaching classes. My father will have a fit when he hears about this.”

“Shut up, Malfoy.” Harry reiterated.

“Careful, Potter, there’s a dementor behind you!” Lavender shouted. Normally, Frankie wouldn’t have joined in. But Perfect Granger was looking at her like she was scum. So Frankie pulled up her hood like the rest of them, echoing a chorus of ooohs.

Hagrid came jogging in with two beautiful beasts on a sort of leash, their silver and bronze feathers glowing in the sun.

“Hippogriffs.” Frankie said, admiring them and remembering Kendra’s lesson on magical creatures.

“That there’s right, Miss Reed! Beautiful aren’t they. These here are Hippogriffs. This one is Storm.” He gestured to the bronze feathered creature. “And this one’s Buckbeak.” Hagrid began telling the class a few facts about them, she didn’t even realize that the rest of the class had taken a few steps back. Hagrid called everyone to come closer, but no one really did, except for Harry’s trio and Frankie. She already knew what to do, so she began the slow process, starting with a low bow. Storm wasn’t paying attention at first, so Frankie whispered a small incantation she used to get stray cats to trust her.

“Scio et observare.” The copper colored hippogriff began a slow trot towards her. Frankie made sure to keep her gaze fixed on the ground. When Storm was a mere two feet away, Hagrid turned his gaze from the class to Frankie.

“Wow! You’ve got a way with ‘er.” He chuckled. “Now you can pet her.”

She reached a tentative hand up to Storm’s beak and gave a few gentle pets, Harry next to her doing the same with Buckbeak. Frankie began to circle Storm, scratching her feathers and smiling so hard her face hurt. All of a sudden Hagrid grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted Frankie onto Storm’s back.

“What-?”

“You two are gonna ride ‘em.” He did the same to Harry and the two soared into the distance.

Flying with a Hippogriff was unlike anything she’d ever done.

When the two touched down, the classes clapped, all but a few annoyed Gryffindors and Slytherins.

“Harry! Reed!” Hagrid snapped her out of her daze. “Amazin’!”

“Hey.” Potter whispered. “I’m sorry.”

Frankie shrugged. “The book did try to attack me.”

He chuckled. “Malfoy really saved you?” Frankie nodded. “Guess he’s nice to girls he fancies.”

“He does not fancy me, Potter. Get your head on right.”

“I’ll help speed things up.” He pulled Frankie into a tight hug, arms wrapped swift around her waist. “Just go with it.” Frankie obliged, curious to see Draco’s reaction. She put her arms gently around Potter’s neck and leaned into the embrace.

Just as Potter said, Draco stormed towards the two. “This must be easy if Potter could do it. You aren’t dangerous at all, are you? You great ugly brute.”

“Draco stop, stop!” He didn’t stop, obviously envious of Harry’s success, not the embrace. Frankie ran out in front of Storm, who had gotten on her hind legs in anger or fear. It happened in a flash of sharp, stinging pain. Storm had slashed her talons across Frankie’s back, leaving a sizable gash in her clothing and skin, blood beginning to seep through her clothing and onto the grassy floor.

Storm was upset by this. Not wanting to have hurt the girl who had been so kind to her, but was afraid of the boy who shouted. Storm nudged Frankie’s side with sorrow, just bringing forth a strangled cry of pain from Frankie’s throat.

“Chess, Merlin, I’m so sorry!” Draco cried. “Hagrid, please, I’m so sorry, she needs to go to the hospital wing!”

A/N: ON THAT ROAD TRIP GRIND pumping out some content! let me know what you think!

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alifeincoffeespoons · 4 years

Text

a wolfstar good omens au

because i LOVE the art of @maria-tries and have had this headcanon living rent-free in my head ever since i saw this

Sirius is cool. When he walks, it’s with a swagger. He knows the right way to smirk to make strangers blush. He knows how to make his hair fall perfectly around his shoulders and catch the eye of every passerby. He knows how to wear his leather jacket so it fits him perfectly, no matter what he has on underneath. It comes with being a demon, after all.

(This is not entirely true. Most demons don’t pay attention to the way their hair falls or the perfect way to smirk. Sirius is the only demon who actually cares to learn these things. It’s true that every demon is capable of these things; most just don’t particularly want to, especially when they could be torturing idiotic humans instead.)

This makes him particularly good at temptation. Other things Sirius is good at include inventing devices and structures to lead humans onto the path to damnation (his more recent ones include Twitter and inauthentic poke bowl chains), raising tropical birds, and caring for his motorbike, a 1940 Harley-Davidson.

Things Sirius is apparently not good at include caring for children, given that he’s lost the fucking Antichrist.

“What do you mean you’ve lost him?” Remus hisses, and wow, this is the angriest Remus has ever looked, which isn’t very angry at all, to be honest, given that angels aren’t actually capable of being angry. To an outsider, he just looks a bit befuddled.

“You lost him too!”

“Yes, but you were the one who brought him to that hospital.”

“Satanic convent.”

“Is this really the time to be precise?”

“I mean, a lack of precision was what got us here,” and it looks like angels actually are capable of being angry, since Remus’s current blank stare is absolutely terrifying.

“Are you sure?” Remus paces around the grounds of Malfoy Manor, where the birthday-boy-who-is-apparently-not-the-Antichrist is laughing at the hired magician, a pompous narcissist named Gilderoy Lockhart, who’s just failed to pull a bunny rabbit out of his top hat. Sirius makes a mental note to use Lockhart to tempt more people into rage sometime; if this is how horribly arrogant he is at a child’s birthday party, he can’t wait to see the damage he could do on a date.

(Over the course of Gilderoy Lockhart’s short existence, he’s managed to seal the damnation of thirty individuals already. He would be a very good demon. Gilderoy Lockhart himself, of course, was hell-bound before he even reached his second year of university, by the force of his unfortunate habit of stealing the research of his fellow students. This, coincidentally, was also how he managed to get expelled from university.)

Multiple people would probably end up with black eyes at the end.

“Well, there’s no hellhound—”

“Don’t say that in front of the humans!”

“Oh, come off it, no one’s listening, everyone’s either getting drunk or throwing food at the magician—”

“Still!”

“There’s no dog here, and Bellatrix was just kind enough to inform me that the hellhound has arrived safely at the Antichrist’s home, so I’m pretty damn sure this is the wrong kid!”

“But how could we have lost him?” Remus looks like he’s going to either scream or cry, and neither is particularly appropriate for this occasion, even if Draco Malfoy’s birthday party is shaping up to be an unmitigated disaster even without the Antichrist Problem, given that the guests have begun throwing around chunks of the birthday cake topped with edible gold.

(Which would have been a bad idea even if Lockhart wasn’t a hopeless magician, given that no eleven-year-old’s palette is nuanced enough to appreciate the delicacies of edible gold. Alternatively, edible gold is never a good idea, as it is simply capitalism at its worst. The second is more likely.)

“I don’t know, but we have, so we better fucking do something about it,” Sirius says.

ii.

Doing something about it apparently means getting the hell out of Draco Malfoy’s disastrous eleventh birthday party and hunkering down in Remus’s bookstore to do research. Research means, in this case, Remus muttering furiously as he flips through dozens of prophecy books in hopes of finding something useful and Sirius annoying Remus as Remus mutters furiously. It’s very fun, annoying Remus. His angel isn’t very easily flustered, to be honest, which makes the pay-off even more worth it when he becomes flustered, in Sirius’s opinion.

(Remus’s cheeks go all red and his freckles become even more prominent. If Sirius was the type of demon who went around calling things adorable, he would call Remus adorable. As Sirius is not that kind of demon, thank you very much, he thinks of Remus, secretly, as delectable. Honestly, the two are fairly interchangeable.)

Over the course of his 6,000-year-plus tenure on Earth, he’s also discovered that there are many things that annoy Remus. These include, and are not limited to:

Flipping through one of his books loudly and sighing whenever possible, making sure to say “boring” in an audible tone;

Eating Remus’s chocolate and then leaving the wrappers everywhere for him to find;

Calling Remus “Moony-Moons” in a sickeningly sweet tone (a nickname acquired after an unfortunate incident wherein some superstitious residents of Edinburgh mistook the angel for a werewolf in the 16th century);

Taking the motorbike around the block near Remus’s bookshop, making sure to rev the engine very loudly every lap;

Humming “God Save The Queen” off-key, just loudly enough for Remus to hear. It’s doubly annoying, because he tips his chair back to creak on every off-beat.

Right now, he’s in the process of repeating the fifth option for the third time when Remus slams the book shut. For a moment, he thinks Remus is going to whisper-yell at him.

(Hot.)

Or maybe he’s going to kiss him.

(Even hotter.)

Instead, Remus simply stands up.

“Right. I think we need to find a book.”

“Remus, you have almost every book written in the past five centuries and then some in this bookshop.” This is helped by the fact that Remus keeps very odd hours, always opening late in the afternoon and closing early in the morning. This isn’t even to mention the week he takes off every month, without fail, which has helped spread the rumor, again, that Remus is a werewolf. Sirius has not mentioned the existence of this rumor to Remus, because he finds it hilarious. If Remus needed to actually make money, he would be exceptionally poor, given that the last time he sold a book was three weeks ago, and it was a two pound guide book of Paris.

Remus gives him a look. “Unfortunately, I don’t, actually, though that would be very nice. I’m missing Cassandra Trelawney’s Book of Strange and Mystical Prophecies.”

“Remus, all this prophecy bunk is rubbish. It’s just humans trying to scam dumber humans out of their money.” Sirius would know. He’s very good at creating ways for humans to scam dumber humans out of their money. He invented Juicero, after all.

“It’s not, actually,” Remus says. “Granted, a lot of the prophetic books are, especially those from the 19th century, but Cassandra Trelawney’s is exceptionally accurate.”

“Aren’t you the one always going on about ineffability? How can any books be written if everything is ineffable anyway?”

Remus sighs. His angel is exceptionally good at sighing. Secretly, Sirius likes to think that they’re a sign of affection.

(Actually, they are. Remus has a specific sigh for Sirius, which can best be translated as “you’re quite annoying, in all honesty, but for some reason, I’ve grown very attached to you and don’t know how I could bear to live without you at this point.”)

“The Plan may be ineffable, but Cassandra Trelawney was a true seer. This is just a shot in the dark, honestly, but if we could get our hands on it, it might help us find out who the Antichrist actually is.”

“And then what do we do?” Sirius asks. “What, we find this Antichrist, who’s probably been influenced by Downstairs already, if he has the hellhound, and what? We talk to him about how this world is actually very nice, so please don’t end it, please? You really think that’s going to work? This is the literal spawn of Satan, Remus. It’s not just another idiotic eleven-year-old. And what, do you think that prophecy book is just going to hold all the answers? That it’ll give a perfect description of the Antichrist and his exact address, and we’ll just find him?”

“Well, what else can we do?” And there’s that Remus flush. Delectable, indeed.

“Run away with me,” Sirius decides suddenly. Remus gives him an incredulous look.

“To where?” he scoffs. “Sirius, if we can’t find the Antichrist, all of this will be gone.”

And that hurts, it does, because Sirius loves Earth, loves everything about it. He loves the solidity of the ground under his motorbike, loves the wine (he has taste, sue him), loves London especially, all the cafes where he can watch Remus sip tea and fawn over chocolate pastries. But if they find the Antichrist, and everything goes south anyway, because that’s what will probably happen, in any case—

“What if we find him and it’s gone anyway? Remus, if we fuck this up—and given how solidly we managed to fuck up taking care of the right Antichrist—one of us will probably be dead in the next month.” I can’t lose you, he doesn’t say, because he doesn’t know what he would do if Remus doesn’t feel the same way. “Remus, we can go—we can go to fuck, I don’t know, Alpha Centauri. Or anywhere else. You read all those books about exploring the galaxy, well, we could do that.”

Because Remus is far more principled than Sirius, for a moment, he seems to be gazing into space, and then he just sighs.

(In that moment, Remus thought about running away with Sirius to some distant galaxy, where they could be something besides an angel and a demon, something unnameable and perfect in that unnameability, and it was all well and good for that moment, but then he thought about all the families that would be torn apart, all of the people who hadn’t done anything wrong at all, really, and would be condemned for simply happening to exist at the wrong time, and he knew he couldn’t.)

“We can’t. We just—we need to find him, and we can go from there. Look, has anything terrible happened yet?”

“It could be,” Sirius says sullenly. “And something terrible is always happening.”

“More terrible than usual, I mean. Earthquakes across the world, volcanic eruptions, Martians destroying London—and don’t give me that look, we’ll know if that happens.”

“Not yet,” Sirius has to admit.

“Well, there you have it. We can save him.”

“Oh, so because he’s not currently destroying the world, he’s suddenly not the Antichrist anymore?”

“I never said that,” Remus replies mildly. “I’m saying that he’s a child, even if he’s the Antichrist, and he can’t be expected to be a soldier in a war he doesn’t even know he signed up for.”

“You and your fucking logic. Where are we even going to find this book of horrible prophecies?”

“I may have an idea,” Remus says.

(This idea, it must be said, is less of a fully-formed idea and more of an inkling. In short, it is not a very good idea.)

will i ever write more of this? who knows. maybe? i just Love the idea of sirius as crowley and remus as aziraphale so very much.

(harry’s the antichrist, of course. but a good one!)

#harry potter #good omens #wolfstar #remus lupin #sirius black #remus x sirius #ineffable partners #james potter #lily evans #draco malfoy #hp #harry potter fanfiction #hp fic #my writing

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typicalmidnightsoul · 4 years

Text

𝕯𝖆𝖗𝖐𝖊𝖘𝖙 𝖘𝖍𝖆𝖉𝖊 𝖔𝖋 𝖇𝖑𝖚𝖊 -Chapter 2

𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐕𝐞𝐧𝐨𝐦

chapter 1 <- here

Tomorrow, she would have to do it tomorrow.

Where was Eris? She thought until it hit her like a sledgehammer, Quidditch practice. She changed her course of walking and headed outside. She heard footsteps quickening their pace behind her and didn't have to guess twice on who it was.

"Where were you at breakfast?" Clare straightened out her skirt and answered,

"Catching up on the gossip in the courtyard," they linked arms, "Where are we going?"

"Eris, we're grabbing him to get into the Slytherin common room."

"Ok... why are we going into the Slytherin common room??"

"It's literally the only place where people don't snoop, everyone gets on with their own shit."

Clare furrowed her brows, "are you sure it isn't because not one of you sisters' friends are in that common room?"

Nesta glared at her. Clare laughed softly and changes the topic as they pass the owlery listening on the twitter of the birds.

"Rumor has it that Elain Archeron is taking Divintaions and is proving to be Firenze's best student...and Professor Trelawney's."

Yes, that particular rumor had reached her ears. She sighed, Nonna would not be happy.

Reading her thoughts Clare said, "We'll find out tomorrow, it could just be a rumor."

She was about to answer when the Quidditch practice pitch came in view. They both halted then started speed walking.

Cassian and Eris were snarling at each other. Some, not all of Slytherin and Gryffindor Quidditch teams standing behind their captains.

"What are you going to do?" Eris smirked, "Beat me into the ground? I'm pretty sure your blonde bitch will whisk you away to bed before you even have a chance to lay a finger on me."

"Oh trust me Eris when I start beating you into the ground no on will be able to stop me."

"I am ever so sorry I seem to have forgotten that Morrigan rejected you after the first night left a scar didn't it?"

Clare gaped. Nesta wished that she had just went to Vassa instead.

"To think this all started with a disagreement on who booked the pitch." Vassa drawled. Nesta turned to see Vassa in her quidditch gear.

"How the hell did it get to this then?" Clare asked.

"They've been at it from a long time," Vassa said to Nesta, "You need to go and stop them."

Clare nodded, "Cassian might be defending Morrigan but Eris is demeaning her for you."

That Nesta was really familiar with and she hated it but he wouldn't stop. She walked towards them. The Slytherin quidditch team that was hyping him up went silent as did the Gryffindor quidditch team. The second Eris and Cassian looked at her she recited,

"Silencio."

She glared at both of them. They both tried to speak to snarl at each other but...couldnt.

Eris sent pleading eyes to Nesta. She waved her wand again.

"Sonorus."

She adresses the quidditch teams. "I am awfully sorry that your sodding captains are not organized enough to get the fucking time table right, " She turned back to Cassian and Eris, "But that does not mean you get into a brawl on school grounds. You understand you might have your quidditch privileges taken away if Madam Hooch seen you."

She whirled and went to walk away when Cassian had grabbed her arm.

"Nesta, listen-"

"Don't. you. dare"

She snatched her hand out of his grip and stormed off, Clare and Vassa behind her.

"Practice is postponed until tomorrow," Eris' eyes were still on Nesta when he dismissed them, "We'll go over tactics tonight in the common room."

With that he sprinted behind her.

Feyre was so late to dinner. Her friends would probably be worried. As she traveled down the dim-lit corridor she heard voices. She got closer and saw her sister's signature black gladiator platform heels poking out from behind a pillar. She got closer and hid behind a different pillar.

"To find out who that necklace belonged to Nesta, should be next to impossible, the fact that Burke pulled several different strings to find out this much information Nesta is very much comendable." that was-Helion. Yes, that voice belonged to Helion.

"This is not much information to go on, Helion. You know what's at stake so what do you propose we do?"

"We wait. Wait until next Friday, when we have talked to her we will know what to do. I honestly think you should focus on tomorrow, you have to make sure that that bag is reached-"

Feyre's wand slid out of her pocket and thudded on the floor. she hurrily picked it out. She could hear the click of Nesta's heels. Shit, shit. Nesta put a finger to her lips.

"Homenum Revel-"

"Nesta?" Feyre came out from behind the pillar, faking surprise.

Nesta lowered her wand. "What are you doing here?!"

"I thought there was an intruder and my wand fell out of my hands i was about to pick it up and disarm you when I heard your voice."

Nesta nodded and jerked her head towards her Great hall. "Go I'll be there in a sec." Feyre hurried past, Helion smiling and nodding to her as she did.

Elain had moved from the Hufflepuff table towards Feyre. She stilled at the look on Feyre's face. Feyre grabbed her arm and dragged her to the Gryffindor table. The conversation stopped at the table.

"You okay, darling?" Rhys asked.

The whole story came out of Feyre in a flood. They all gaped.

"I honestly think we need to follow Nesta to hogsmeade tomorrow if only to find out-" A goblet was smacked down on the table.

Cresseida gave a sweet smile. Too sweet.

"Hey sweeties, so basically it seems like you have forgotten that our tables are right next to each other."

Her smile turned into a glare, "So let me warn you, you follow Nesta anywhere on any trip I will be sending a note to your grandmother about your... antics. And as you know being your guardian Nonna can do many things, so... stay out of our way."

Cassian growled, but before he could reply Nesta came.

"Any problem, Cress?"

"Nope, none at all. I was just about to ask if Feyre and her friends knew about the fundraiser Nonna is holding here at Hogwarts next Friday night."

"A fundraiser?" Rhysand asked.

"Yes, Headmistress Mcgonagall was going to tell us at the end of dinner so we can buy or order dresses in the next week."

They all excahnged looks, that's probably who Helion implied they should talk to. Their Grandmother.

"Oh shit." Feyre and Elain cursed under their breath.

@skychild29

#nesta #cassian #eris #nessian fanfic #prythian #acotar #nesta]#feyre #elain #lucie #amre #mor #rhys #nessian fanfuc #acomaf #acowar

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hphm-etched-engraved-everlasting · 4 years

Text

11. Clara

Author’s Note/Table of Contents

It wasn't the first time I trekked into the Forbidden Forest as the sun set below the horizon. With the sleepwalking curse prevailing over the student population in my fourth year came multiple trips into the Forest to not only locate the Vault, but also interact with some of the most dangerous and tame beasts that lived there. I should have been used to the prospect of going into the Forest every time we encountered trouble, but I was halted at one point by Professor Dumbledore and Mr. Filch, and was even delivered a year-long detention which put a damper on the triumph. I didn't want this trip to go to waste--especially since my life, my siblings' lives, and the lives of innocent agents were now at risk--and so I timed my excursion accordingly, glancing over my shoulder every so often to avoid getting caught.

The normal howling winds now brushed past in faint whispers, the hard-packed dirt beneath my feet concealed with leaves that had only begun to fall. The dense white fog greeted me as I delved deeper into the forest's open arms, and I tried to imagine that the tall trees were just providing a common shelter, protecting all that called the forest its home. Before long, the school faded out of sight, hidden behind the mist...and that was when I heard the sound of familiar hooves approaching me, trotting over the ground.

I didn't have to rub my eyes to recognize the all-too-familiar Centaur.

"Thanks for meeting me, Torvus," I greeted him with a wave.

Torvus grinned upon seeing me, his eyes brightening. "I am happy to indulge the human who returned my herd's arrowhead and helped bring an end to my exile," he simply told me, nodding. "Were you able to defeat the dragon in the Cursed Vault and break the curse trapping the students in the portraits?"

I haven't forgotten how Torvus helped train me and Merula to fight a beast as strong as the Hungarian Horntail in the Vault. Honestly, I was happy I was able to return alive, though I knew the child that wondered about Jacob's whereabouts had been all but left behind, brutally destroyed.

"Yes. Thanks to your advice about working together, we were able to subdue the dragon and break the curse," I answered. "Unfortunately, none of us were prepared for our professor, Rakepick, betraying us in the Vault. We managed to make it out, but..."

Teamwork wasn't always what made the dream work. Trust could only go so far before someone decided to reveal their true intentions, destroying what trust we had.

A family, Rakepick called us. A family that tore apart so mercilessly at the seams.

"I'm sorry to hear that," Torvus finally said.

Even that sounded weak to my ears.

"What of your brother? Did you manage to find him?" Torvus eventually asked.

"I did, but he left shortly after to chase after Rakepick," I explained. "I hardly got to speak with him. In a way, it seemed less painful when he was stuck in the portrait, back in the buried Vault. At least then he didn't have the choice of avoiding me if he ever saw me." I sighed and buried my hands in my pockets. "Now I don't know if I'll ever see him the same way again, or bring him back to our family."

Silence ensued for a moment, my heart pounding at the thought of feeling vulnerable to a beast that could potentially kill me in a heartbeat. Tears almost welled at the thought of bringing this new Jacob home to my family--to my mother, publicly disgraced; to my father, fragile when it came to his only son; to my sister, who barely remembered him. It was all the Cursed Vaults could do to permanently change our family dynamic. I couldn't see what our family would be like now with Jacob acting like this.

"...I'm sorry, Clara," Torvus finally said. "I know what it's like to be abandoned by those who mean the most to you."

Yes, Jacob abandoned me. Yes, he brought this upon us--this misfortune, this humiliation. But I looked up at Torvus and remembered all that he had been through whilst I was still in a position of hope. He was cast out of his herd for losing the arrowhead, and never heard from them in his exile. When we first met, he travelled alone, operated alone. My family was abandoned by choice, but Torvus was abandoned by tradition, by law.

"I know you do," I murmured. "In fact, I think you had it worse, Torvus. Your whole family shunned you, after all--I can't imagine how painful and hard that must have been."

"But we're together now. That's all that matters," Torvus reassured me, his smile returning in an attempt to comfort me. "And I hope you're able to have a proper reunion with your brother, too."

Not just me--my entire family. It was all I could think of to make sure he comes back safe and sound.

"Thanks, Torvus."

Torvus nodded, somewhat content. "You're welcome. But I imagine you didn't come here just to catch up."

He had a point. I rarely came by here just to say hello to Torvus and interact with him like a friend.

"You're right," I said, heaving a heavy sigh. "I came here because--"

"Another curse has been unleashed at Hogwarts and you came to consult with me."

"Yes." I nodded in shock, a little surprised he'd say that. Had my pattern become this predictable now? "A student's recently been Petrified--how did you know?"

"You only seek me out when you need help with something related to the vaults or your brother," Torvus responded, a hint of obviousness in his voice. "I didn't have to divine the future to see that coming."

"Ha-ha," I grunted. "Though funny you mention Divination, because that's why I came."

Now Torvus looked intrigued, and he tilted his head. "What do you mean?"

"My Divination professor, Trelawney, gave me an ominous sounding prophecy earlier today," I told him, swallowing the phlegm that gathered in my throat. "And I don't have a lot of clues as to what or where the final Cursed Vault is located--just a coral key...and the Petrified student I found looked rather similar to the merperson trident I found in the last Cursed Vault. If this prophecy is related to the final Cursed Vault and this new curse, deciphering it could provide potential answers."

"And you came to me for help because you heard that Centaurs were especially good at Divination," Torvus finished.

"Correct." I chuckled at how quickly we were able to clear this issue--though I was thoroughly surprised at how predictable I've become. "Are you sure you didn't divine the heavens before I came?"

"I didn't have to. Humans can be very predictable," Torvus responded. "Now tell me what this prophecy is. I'll see if I can provide further insight."

So I told him. I told him about the murky water, final endings, changes swirling around me, paying ultimate prices--just about the same thing I told the Weasleys, and my sister and her friend back in the library earlier today. Of course, with this task just dumped on him without prior warning, Torvus didn't seem as prepared to decipher it as anyone back in the library. He kept muttering about consulting the heavens and wishing he had sage and mallowsweet with him--this didn't sound like a good sign.

I couldn't blame him, though. Even Centaurs had their limits when it came to Divination. Gifts that they were given at birth could only become skills if carefully nurtured and practised. Some were just able to master it quicker than others, or had practised the skill more. Either way, I knew Torvus was trying his best. I couldn't push him to stretch beyond his limits.

"I'm sorry, Clara. This prophecy is beyond my capabilities," Torvus eventually said after a long while, shaking his head and pawing his hoof to the ground. "This Professor Trelawney must either be truly gifted or truly fake."

I almost snorted at that one--in either case, it would make deciphering the prophecy a complete waste of time. Still, I suppose sometimes prophecies were solely made to be cloudy, and wouldn't make any sense unless it passed.

"Thanks anyway, Torvus," I responded with a sigh. "It's fine. I guess I'll just wait in the dark until some miracle comes around."

"There are a few members of my herd who might be able to help, though. They are more gifted in Divination than I--masters of astrology who use mallowsweet and sage to refine their findings," Torvus suggested. "They might be able to help you gain further insight into your prophecy."

At least there was still that possibility. I had to be able to score it in order to get closer to some sort of clue.

"That's great. If it'll help me find the last Cursed Vault before Rakepick and lead me to my brother, I'll have to speak to the other Centaurs!" I decided.

Torvus, however, shook his head and frowned. "It might not be easy," he warned me. "Most refuse to get this close to human settlements. And humans, with the exception of Hagrid and a few others, aren't welcome into the Centaur Camp at all."

Ah. Of course, with every proposition, there had to be a catch.

"Is there any way I can convince the herd to let me visit the Camp?" I asked him.

"I can try to vouch for you, but I was only recently accepted back into the camp. My word might not mean much," Torvus said, hanging his head sadly. "But if you can find and present suitable offerings for them, they might be able to consider it."

"Offerings? Like what?" I asked.

"Anything that shows that you understand and respect the herd and culture," Torvus said. "But I can't tell you anything more than that. Everything must come genuinely from you. If the herd finds out I helped you, they'll reject your offering, forbid you from visiting the camp and likely exile me all over again."

Well, that's not good. I don't want to do anything that could potentially get anyone else hurt. The vision of the Petrified student's eyes flashed before me and I almost stumbled back in shock. I knew I had to work quickly, but where could I start?

"I have faith in you, Clara," Torvus finally said. "Trust your instincts--they'll serve you well."

Trust my instincts? That sounded exactly like the advice I gave Jae when we first explored the Ice Vault corridor together searching for Scabbers, Percy's pet rat. He remarked that instincts always lead him to trouble, but instincts could lead to something good, too.

And if my instincts were right, then I knew exactly where to go first.

#yay torvus!!#hphm spoilers #year 6 spoilers #hogwarts mystery #hphm clara lin #hphm torvus #statue curse #etched engraved everlasting

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submissivebookmark-motherofchaos · 4 years

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Hermione did her best not to look conspicuous as she walked the halls of Hogwarts seventh floor. She had a mission to complete and that was to find another piece of Tom’s soul. She knew where she needed to go, but wanted to make sure she was unobserved. ‘Look in the Room of Hidden Things. You’ll find another piece of me there and let me know what you find.’

She closed her eyes as she paced in front of the Room of Requirement. It took her some time to figure out that it was the same room. The Room of Requirement could be anything one needed. Opening her eyes, her lip twitched as a double antique door appeared. She grasped the handle and tugged it open and slipped inside. Room of Hidden Things was a bit of a misnomer. It looked more like the Room of Discarded and Broken Things.

“This is going to take forever,” she mumbled as she took a tentative step forward. The room was massive. Old furniture, brooms, and cabinets, just to name some; were stacked floor to ceiling. Letting out a harsh breath she decided to walk at a measured pace and wait until she felt something. Tom was a part of her, and she would know when she felt his soul crying out for her.

She came to a split in the road as it were and pursed her lips. She looked left, then right and felt a small twinge in her soul that told her to go right. Trusting her magic, she stepped to the right and kept walking. She looked around with interest as she passed several cabinets with books, her fingers itching to look at the titles but decided against it. It was late in the afternoon and she didn’t want to risk the chance of being caught out after curfew.

Umbridge would have a field day with that. It was known that Millicent Bulstrode was on the blasted Inquisitorial Squad and would love to get her manky claws on Hermione. She’d almost been nabbed by the girl several times already, it was as if Bulstrode was hunting her just waiting for her to fuck up and catch her breaking the rules. If she wasn’t absolutely sure that the Marauder’s Map was the only one in existence she would think that Bulstrode was using it to find her.

Not that Hermione had any problem with breaking the rules. She knew that rules had their place, but now she was indoctrinated into Pureblood society, she could see how bending certain rules were a good thing. She’d never been one to really toe the line… well at least not since her first year. Salazar, she could remember the mischief she, Harry and Ron had gotten up to, it was different now. It wasn’t all fun and games, she was playing a game of cat and mouse with Dumbledore, someone who decidedly had more experience than her. However, she was a fast learner and was matching him step for step.

She was infuriated with him, his inaction concerning the student population being so harshly punished by Umbridge was several black marks against him. Though it appeared that people were still willing to stand by him. One example was when Trelawney was sacked, he’d come out to the courtyard and proclaimed that while Umbridge may have authority to dismiss his professors, she didn’t have the authority to toss anyone off the premises. Umbridge seemed to take that as a challenge and had attacked more students in retribution and Dumbledore still didn’t come to their defence.

For weeks now, Hermione felt herself being pulled in several different directions. She was trying to heal all those affected by Umbridge’s harsh treatment and at the same time keep up with her studies and heal Tom. She was exhausted.

Each night when she went to bed, she would close her curtains and meditate. Her children would swirl around her as she concentrated on the healing those in the castle. It took time for her to get used to the feeling of a mass healing, it took a lot of her magic, though the more she did, the more she felt her stamina increasing.

She still refused to heal herself, she didn’t need Umbridge knowing it was her healing the others, although she’d caught Dumbledore watching her several times with a contemplative expression on his face as if he were trying to move one of his chess pieces for checkmate.

She was pulled from her musings when she felt a sharp tug on her soul. She stopped instantly and looked around. Following the pull on her soul, she walked to a glass cabinet and pressed her hands against the glass. There laying on top of some books, looking dusty was a diadem. She was certain she’d seen it before, but she couldn’t recall where.

Opening the door slowly, she stroked the gems gently, and her magic flared as Tom’s soul reached out to her much as a small child would its mother. Wrapping her hand firmly on the object she pulled it out slowly and cupped it the best she could in her hands.

This was it; this was what Tom had stored his soul in. How many more did he have? She shook her head, opened her bag, and placed it inside gently moving her items around so it wouldn’t be conspicuous.

She sat down on the floor and pulled out her journal. She needed to speak to Tom before she healed this piece. The last time he’d been with her and she’d witnessed how affected he was by her healing him. She didn’t want him to be walking, or Salazar forbid, bathing and he passed out.

She smirked as she began to write.

‘A tiara Tom, really? Tell me, did you wear it before you placed your soul in it?’

Hermione giggled at the image of Tom wearing the diadem. He thought he was larger than life already. Perhaps he didn’t have a crown that suited him, so he used the diadem instead?

‘I take it you found what you were looking for? To answer your question, no, I never wore it. Blue isn’t really my colour.’

She snorted a laugh and shook her head for a moment enjoying the fact that he was teasing her right back.

‘I would think red and gold to be more of your colours, honestly, especially with your colouring.’

‘Hold your tongue, woman! I will forgive you for thinking that any colour associated with your former house would look good on me, but honestly, I look good in any colour do I not?’

Hermione rolled her eyes and shifted her hips slightly to relieve a cramp in her leg from bending it awkwardly. The twinge of pain bringing her mind back to why she was so sore. Her body ached all over from Umbridge’s harsh punishments, but she was just stubborn enough not to show it outwardly. She wouldn’t give the sick toad the satisfaction of crying out in pain when she doled out her flavour of the night, nor shed a tear, but when she was alone, the tears would freely fall.

Blowing a curl from her face she replied.

‘In all seriousness, are you ready for me to heal you? I wanted to make sure that you were somewhere safe where someone could watch over you. I would call Tipsy before I heal you in case you collapse like last time. And don’t scowl at me, I know you are, I mean it. I worry.’

His reply was almost instant.

‘I’m not sure if I’m pleased, or frightened that you know me so well. The scowl was indeed on my face. I’ll call your house-elf if it will assuage your fears. You can heal that part of my soul now. When you return for Winter Hols, we will discuss the others. I love you, my Mia.’

She smiled.

‘I love you, too. Be prepared.’

#a force of nature #slytherin hermione #pureblood hermione #Gellert Grindlewald is Hermione's grandfather #Vinda Rosier is Hermione's grandmother #Dumbledore is a real douche canoe in this fic #elemental magic #life elemental #elemtal

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bookishable · 5 years

Text

goblet of fire book moments

‘the riddles all appeared to be in perfect health—apart from the fact that they were all dead.’

ron, hermione, hagrid and sirius sending harry food and birthday cakes over the summer so he would have enough to eat

“she did put enough stamps on, then”

“we’ve been hearing explosions out of their room for ages, but we never thought they were actually making things, we thought they just liked the noise.”

percy: we’re trying to sTAnDaRdiSe cAuLdRoN tHiCkNeSs ron: that’ll change the world, that will

arthur trying to light a fire at the world cup and ron being like but we’ve got an oven

YOU BUST SLUG

the guy named archie wearing a dress because he thought it was regular muggle clothing

ludo bagman existing

crouch calling percy “weatherby”

“oh, shut up, weatherby”

the quidditch world cup actually happening and being amazing

“you can speak english! and you’ve been letting me mime everything all day!” “vell, it vos very funny”

fred and george predicting the quidditch match score and earning all the money they bet back

“if the hogwarts express crashed tomorrow, and george and i died, how would you feel knowing that the last thing we ever heard from you was an unfounded accusation?”

harry ‘would willingly have split all the money in his gringotts vault with the weasleys’ <3 my boy is precious

the visual of mrs weasley giving amos diggory a piece of toast through the fire where his head was

“it would’ve been so easy to push malfoy off a glacier and make it look like an accident… shame his mother likes him…”

hermione not eating at the first feast in aid of house elves and ron waving puddings at her: “hermione gave him a look so reminiscent of professor mcgonagall that he gave up.”

dumbledore: the triwizard tournament will be taking place at hogwarts this year fred: you’re JOKING dumbledore: i am not joking, but i did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag and a leprechaun who all go into a bar— mcgonagall: *clears throat loudly*

blast-ended skrewts

harry: why have i got two neptunes ron: *imitating trelawney* when two neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, harry

“has your mother always looked like that, or was it just because you were with her?”

CONSTANT VIGILANCE

‘telling neville what professor sprout had said, harry thought, had been a very tactful way of cheering neville up, for neville very rarely heard that he was good at anything. it was the sort of thing professor lupin would have done.’

harry and ron’s made-up divination predictions that foreshadow the rest of the book

S.P.E.W

“excuse me, i don’t like people just because they’re handsome!” ron gave a false cough which sounded oddly like ‘lockhart’

ron: that’s not a normal girl, they don’t make them like that at hogwarts harry: *looking at cho* they make them ok at hogwarts hermione: wHeN yOu’Ve bOtH pUt yOuR EyeS bAcK iN

“we all know professor moody considers the morning wasted if he hasn’t discovered six plots to murder him before lunchtime”

hermione bringing harry some toast and taking him on a walk at breakfast so he wouldn’t have to face ron and the rest of the gryffindors

“ah, this is nice and cosy.” it was a broom cupboard. harry stared at her.

rita: i hope you saw my piece over the summer? dumbledore: i particularly enjoyed your description of me as an obsolete dingbat

charlie weasley existing

“there are switching spells… but what’s the point of switching it? unless you swapped its fangs for wine gums or something”

moody: play to your strengths harry: i haven’t got any moody: excuse me

trelawney telling harry that he was in danger of a sudden, violent death: “well that’s good, just as long as it’s not drawn out, i don’t want to suffer”

“no, i’m fine,” said harry, wondering why he kept telling people this, and wondering whether he had ever been less fine.

‘he wouldn’t have cared if karkaroff had given him zero; ron’s indignation on his behalf was worth about a hundred points to him.’

“yeah, you can have a word, goodbye.”

“i thought it sounded a bit like percy singing… maybe you’ve got to attack him while he’s in the shower”

CANARY CREAMS

ron giving dobby his christmas jumper

harry and ron having a sword fight with the fake wands

harry: i don’t dance mcgonagall: oh yes you do

harry: why do girls have to move in packs? how do you get one on their own? ron: lasso one

“ron, can we borrow pigwidgeon?” “why?” “because george wants to invite him to the ball”

“harry—we’ve just got to grit our teeth and do it,” said ron, in a tone that suggested they were planning the storming of an impregnable fortress.

ordering food at the yule ball feast by telling the plate what they want to eat

“when i went back to investigate, i discovered that the room had vanished. possibly it is only accessible at five thirty in the morning—or when the seeker has an exceptionally full bladder.”

“nice socks, potter”

snape: what are you doing? ron: we’re walking. not against the law, is it?

“i wouldn’t come near you with a ten-foot broomstick”

harry calling rita skeeta a cow and dumbledore being like “i have gone temporarily deaf and haven’t any idea what you said”

aberforth dumbledore being mentioned to have been prosecuted for practising inappropriate charms on a goat

“never be ashamed,” my dad used ter say, “there’s some who’ll hold it against you, but they’re not worth botherin’ with.” someone hold me i’m crying

“just go down to the lake tomorrow, stick your head in, yell at the merpeople to give back whatever they’ve nicked and see if they chuck it out. best you can do, mate.”

‘hermione seemed to be taking the library’s lack of useful information as a personal insult; it had never failed her before.’

“your wheezy, sir! the thing harry potter will miss most!”

dumbledore speaking mermish

‘ron and hermione both gave harry half-exasperated, half-commiserating looks.’ honestly if this isn’t a summary of the series idk what is

ron: i could’ve taken those mer-idiots any time hermione: what were you going to do, snore at them?

sirius “fulfilling his duty as godfather” by sleeping in a cave and living off rats to be near harry

“if you want to know what a man’s like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”

referring to sirius as ‘snuffles’

winky: you is nosing dobby: harrypotterisbraveandnobleandharrypotterisnotnosy!!!

NIFFLERS

“aren’t you two ever going to read hogwarts: a history?” “what’s the point? you know it off by heart, we can just ask you.”

harry and cedric uniting in their indignance at the hedges for the third task growing all over the quidditch pitch

bagman: shall i wait for you harry? harry: no it’s ok, i think i can find the castle on my own, thanks

trelawney: if you leave you may lose the opportunity to see further than you have ever— harry: i don’t want to see anything except a headache cure

dumbledore saying madame maxime is “a very able headmistress—and an excellent dancer”

“i didn’t see madame maxime anywhere, though, and she’d have a job hiding, wouldn’t she?”

“curiosity is not a sin, but we should exercise caution with our curiosity…”

harry: but the task’s not until tonight! *spills scrambled eggs* mcgonagall: i’m aware of that, potter

harry expecting the dursleys to turn up for the third task and it turns out to be mrs weasley and bill and they spend the day wandering around the castle

harry working out the sphinx’s riddle and being ‘amazed at his own brilliance’

“you fail to recognise that it matters not what someone is born, but what they grow to be!”

‘he had no memory of ever being hugged like this, as though by a mother.’

“what’s comin’ will come, an’ we’ll meet it when it does.”

“cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities which distinguish hufflepuff house: he was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. his death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not.”

“we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided.”

“we can fight only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.”

hermione keeping rita skeeta in a jar and blackmailing her to not write any more stories after she found out rita was an unregistered animagus

harry giving fred and george all his triwizard winnings because he’s the kind boy he is

#i started this series a while ago but i reread gof last so i’ll be able to post the rest sooner #this book has some of the best lines the film really didn’t do it justice #hp book moments #goblet of fire #harry potter books #harry potter quotes #hp textpost

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aidanchaser · 5 years

Text

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban: Everyone Lives AU

Table of Contents beta’d by @ageofzero

Chapter Twenty-Two Owl Post Again

Remus Lupin arrived in the infirmary only moments after Harry and his friends had been dismissed, which he was grateful for. He didn’t particularly feel like enduring Harry’s worried stares just yet. Remus loved how much Harry cared, but there were days when he looked too much like his parents, and Remus always hated seeing any of the Potters worrying about him. He couldn’t endure that after last night, not just yet.

Madam Pomfrey looked over him to be sure he’d sustained no serious injuries in his escapade last night. She confirmed that there was nothing more than a few scrapes and gave him a tea for his aches.

“Thank you,” he smiled, and buttoned up his shirt.

“I know you’re a bit old for it, but,” she kissed his forehead. “Thank you for coming to see me, even though you really didn’t need to. Only a few small cuts.”

“Better safe than sorry,” Remus said.

She laughed. “If only you’d had that perspective when you were smaller. I seem to recall a lot of ‘Madam Pomfrey, don’t trouble yourself.’”

“Hopefully we all get a little wiser as we age,” he said with a smile on the corner of his mouth.

There was a quiet knock at the door of the infirmary that made both Remus and Madam Pomfrey turn.

In the doorway stood Draco Malfoy, shoulders a little hunched, like he was trying to hide, and he couldn’t seem to look up at Remus or Madam Pomfrey.

“Is everything alright, dear?” Madam Pomfrey asked.

“I just wanted to talk to Professor Lupin,” Draco said.

Madam Pomfrey raised an eyebrow and Remus could tell she was instinctively going on the defensive for him.

“It’s alright, Poppy. I was just leaving anyway.”

Madam Pomfrey pursed her lips, then took away the empty mug and went back to her office.

Remus reached for his robes. “Is everything alright, Draco?”

Draco watched Remus pull on his robes, like he was looking for something specific, but Remus couldn’t guess what.

“Professor Snape said something very interesting at breakfast today,” Draco said. “He said you… He said you had resigned.”

“I have. First thing I did this morning, in fact.”

“Why?”

And Remus could tell from the glint in Draco’s eyes that Snape had said a little more than just that Remus had resigned, that Draco knew the truth; he was only waiting for Remus to lie to him.

Remus let out a heavy sigh. “It’s actually a rude question to ask, Draco —”

“Is it true that you’re a werewolf?”

“You actually completed the extra credit essay. You tell me.”

Draco turned his wand over in his hands and Remus wondered briefly if he should reach for his own wand — then remembered that his wand had wandered off with Barty Crouch, Jr., and that was probably the worst wound to come from everything that had happened the night before.

“You disappear for a day or two before or after the full moon,” Draco said quietly, “and you always look so sick when it happens. I don’t know if you have scars and I don’t pay attention to what you eat but when Professor Snape said it this morning it made sense and I just wanted you to tell me he was lying.”

“He wasn’t lying.” There was no echo in the infirmary, but Remus felt sure his words rang for minutes after they were spoken.

Draco tightened his grip on his wand and pointed it at Remus. “You were my — you were a teacher. Dumbledore let you teach?”

Remus remembered a similar moment when he was twelve years old, and his friends had approached him with wands brandished, demanding to know why Dumbledore had let a werewolf attend school. Then, Remus had been terrified that he would lose everything, and in the end he’d gained three friends he could trust with anything. Now, Remus didn’t feel an ounce of fear. He felt sad, but unsurprised. He’d imagined it was only a matter of time before Snape broke his promise to Dumbledore. He had known that if Draco Malfoy ever found out, Draco would not take the truth like Remus’s friends had.

But he also knew that some small part of him had always wanted to believe in the best of Draco Malfoy, as he had gotten to know the best of Sirius Black.

“When I’m human,” Remus said, “I’m not a danger to anyone. If you learned anything in my class this year —”

“I learned how to fight monsters.”

“Draco, do I look like a monster?”

Draco’s wand arm shook. “Not right now, but —”

“Monsters come in many forms. Sometimes their appearances are deceiving. If you truly think I am a monster, I know you know what spells to use right now. Your essay on defeating werewolves was well-done and received full marks.”

Remus knew that Draco Malfoy was probably too confused to use a proper spell, especially an unpracticed and complicated one. He also knew that Madam Pomfrey was only just behind her office door. But he still hoped, beyond all reason, that Draco could somehow trust him, even after all this.

Draco lowered his wand. “Don’t contact me ever again, or I’ll tell my father,” and he turned on his heel and left.

Remus let out a deep sigh and rubbed his forehead. He didn’t know how he could have expected that to go any better.

He didn’t have much of an appetite for breakfast, so instead he went to pack up his office. He was surprised to find Dumbledore waiting for him with a slip of parchment Remus recognized as the resignation letter he’d left in Dumbledore’s office just a few hours earlier.

“I’m glad to see you’re feeling better,” Dumbledore said.

“You can’t talk me out of leaving,” Remus said as he began to empty his desk.

Dumbledore hesitated, then rolled the piece of parchment up and stood. “It was worth a try, Remus. I need someone here that I can trust, someone who can protect Harry. It’s important now more than ever.”

“Now that Barty Crouch has escaped.” Remus sighed, remembering the prophecy Trelawney had given Harry just yesterday.

Dumbledore stroked his beard. “And if what Regulus Black told me is true, we may not have as much time as we thought.”

When Remus was a boy, he’d imagined Dumbledore to be a bit like the Merlin in fairytales. Dumbledore had a twinkle in his blue eyes, and a sagacity that made him seem omniscient. But as the war had increased in violence, and Remus had gotten closer to Dumbledore outside of their relationship as student-teacher, he’d learned that sagacity came with the cost of years of pain and mistakes. He’d learned that the blue twinkle in Dumbledore’s eyes was for children who still had wonder, but it vanished in the presence of hardened adults and became a steel grey. They were that steel grey now.

“What did Regulus Black tell you?”

“Disturbing things about Lord Voldemort and his plans during the war. It seems that Voldemort's return will be inevitable, as we feared, especially now that he has the help of one of his most loyal servants. If that does not convince you to stay….”

“I could have hurt a student last night. It’s too easy for mistakes to be made, no matter what precautions I take. And I won’t have you fending off all the Howlers you’d receive for keeping me on. You’ll have enough as it is with my resignation.”

“Very well,” Dumbledore said, voice heavy. “I wish you all the best. I trust you heard about Regulus Black’s thrilling escape?”

“I can’t imagine how you managed it.”

“I did very little, believe it or not. But I think it is important that he have a place to stay. I’m sure you know a life on the run is no life at all.”

Remus had had his fair share of “life on the run” during the war, and so had Lily and James. It wasn’t easy, and from what he remembered of Regulus Black during their time in school, Regulus could be about as subtle as Sirius when it came to secrets.

“I think I have an idea. I’ll speak with Sirius about it.” Remus glanced at the small clock on his desk. “If he’s properly given his statement, he should be by to collect me in just a few hours.”

“Let us hope, for all our sakes, that he has told the Wizengamot all about the horrors of being Imperiused, and he will be released shortly. And James’s character reference will go a long way, of course. They still respect him quite a bit there, Order of Merlin aside, if only for his family name.”

Remus gave Dumbledore a thin smile, thinking how nice it must be to have a name that could get anyone out of trouble, anyone except him. His name got him into quite a bit of trouble.

“If anyone can convince Sirius to do something sensible, it’s James.”

“Should I ask him to convince you to stay?”

Remus shook his head.

“I am sorry, Remus. I know you made a difference for these children.”

And Remus suddenly remembered a very similar conversation he’d overheard between Dumbledore and one of the many other Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers he’d had while he was in school. She’d been his favorite professor, and he realized, all at once, how much she’d influenced his teaching. He wondered if he’d left that impact on any of his own students, but he couldn’t honestly imagine how.

“Thank you, Headmaster. I am and have always been grateful for the opportunities you’ve given me.”

Remus finished packing his desk into his briefcase and that seemed a final enough act for Dumbledore.

“You will always be welcome here,” he said as he left, but to Remus they felt like words said to placate a situation that couldn’t be placated, like the way Dumbledore had spoken to Severus on that awful night.

Remus shook those memories out of his head and made sure his trunk was all in order. He had been prepared for the end of the year, knowing the full moon would be close to the final day, so there wasn’t much packing to do. He only made sure all final exams were scored properly, then took his trunk down stairs, passing by the students at lunch. He nearly ran into Harry at the Entrance Hall.

“I just heard from Percy. You’re really leaving?” Harry asked.

Remus smiled. “I’ll see you at home, Harry.”

“But you can’t go. You’re the best teacher we’ve ever had, better than Mum —”

“I’m the most dangerous teacher you’ve ever had.”

“You didn’t let loose a herd of Cornish pixies on the classroom and tell us to clean it up ourselves.”

“I don’t expect you to understand —”

“I do understand,” Harry said, “but I don’t think it’s right.”

Those were hard words for Remus to hear. They were words Remus had thought when he was seventeen and eighteen, when James and Sirius had convinced him that he was something worth fighting for, and then at twenty-one, reality had set in, and Remus learned that the world didn’t work on what was right and wrong. The world went on as the people around chose to go on, and he could do his best but it wouldn’t always be right.

“There are many battles to be fought in the name of right and wrong,” he said. “You must choose the most worthy ones, just as you did last night.”

Remus knew the fierce glint in Harry’s eyes, a glint he had seen in Lily’s so often. James was the one people assumed was wild and uncontrollable, but those people had never seen Lily confronted with injustice. Those people had never been on the wrong end of her temper. Harry shared that same righteous anger.

“What did Snape mean when he said he wasn't the only one who believed Sirius had betrayed my parents? It wasn't about when he learned your secret, was it?”

Remus sighed heavily. “Another time, Harry. Not here in the hallway. For now, though,” Remus dug into his robes and handed Harry the Marauder’s Map, “I think now that I’m not a teacher, I can return this to you. I think you can make good use of it.”

Harry looked like he was torn between a thank you and a protest. Finally, he managed, “I’d rather you stay.”

Remus shook his head. “Go enjoy your feast with your friends. If you need to, we can talk about it at home.”

Harry nodded, then went back into the Great Hall.

Remus made it out of the castle without running into anyone else. He did say his goodbyes to Hagrid, who was on his way back from Hogsmeade. He congratulated him on Buckbeak’s escape from the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures, and Hagrid gave him his condolences about the resignation. It was a pleasant walk the rest of the way, even though he was alone. It was nice that there were no more dementors patrolling the borders of the castle.

Remus made it to the front steps of James’s cottage when Sirius threw open the door before Remus could even lift his hand to the handle.

Sirius was, expectedly, furious. His face was like a storm as he took Remus’s trunk from him. “James is finishing up lunch,” and there was so much restrained rage in his voice that Remus knew the court trial must have gone as well as they’d all hoped.

“Congratulations on being a free man,” Remus said, and shrugged himself out of his robes.

“Freedom on a lie is as terrible as being unjustly imprisoned.”

“I think I disagree.” But Remus had a small smile on his lips as he watched Sirius fume. It was good to see Sirius behaving the way he expected Sirius to behave. It was like knowing the world was in order.

“Are you still going on about it?” James called from the kitchen. He came out with two plates and handed one to Sirius. It looked like a sandwich. He handed Remus a plate with a thick slab of undercooked steak. “Honestly, Sirius, it’s not forever. Just until we catch Barty Crouch, and then everything can be set straight. It’s a temporary fix. The truth will always out. Besides, you didn’t exactly make it easy for us, running off with Regulus Black for months without actually telling anyone what you were doing or why.”

Sirius didn’t argue as he ate the food James gave him, but his expression seemed stuck on sulking.

Remus sat down at the table in the living room with his plate. As a boy, it would have made him uncomfortable to eat raw meat in front of his friends, but now he knew he could trust them, and he didn’t mind at all.

James sat down beside Remus with a sandwich of his own. “Lily and I will probably sell this place, since we don’t really need to be this close to Hogwarts anymore. It was nice to have, but Remus, if you’re not staying on, we don’t have much need for it.”

Remus glanced over at Sirius. “I wouldn’t sell it just yet. Unless Sirius has somewhere else to stay?”

James tilted his head. “Sirius, what’s wrong with your flat?”

Sirius’s face went red and he hastily took another bite of his sandwich.

“Sirius got evicted in January. It’s part of why he started spending so much time here. It wasn’t just because of me and Regulus.”

“How’d you find out?” Sirius said, still clearly irritated.

“It wasn’t hard,” Remus shrugged. “You moved quite a few of your things here. And I know that Firebolt you bought Harry wasn’t cheap.”

James nearly choked on his sandwich. “You spent all your money on Harry’s Firebolt? Merlin, Sirius, we would’ve gotten him a Nimbus.” James shook his head in disbelief. “How do you spend the entirety of the Black family fortune in seven years?”

Sirius shrugged his shoulders. “It’s easy when you don’t want it.”

“Now what are you going to do? I mean, of course Lily and I won’t sell, you two can stay here and manage the place for us. That’ll count as rent and —”

“Actually,” Remus said slowly, knowing this was going to be hard for Sirius to take, but he wanted the idea to catch, “I was thinking that Regulus would need a place to stay.”

“He can’t stay in Hogsmeade,” Sirius snorted.

“No, I was thinking he ought to stay somewhere a little more... outside the Ministry’s reach.”

Sirius sulk gave way to a very dark scowl. “The property’s in my name, thanks to that paperwork the two of you had him sign several years ago. He can’t stay there without me.”

“I know,” Remus said. “Maybe it’ll be better that way.”

James shook his head. “So Lily and I are selling the cottage? I’m confused.”

Sirius said, “Remus wants me to move back into my mother’s house with Regulus.”

“Oh,” James said. “Remus, I’m not sure….”

“It’s a good idea,” Sirius said, voice flat. “The Ministry won’t be able to touch him there. It’d be as safe as hiding out on the continent, anyway. I’ll send an owl tonight.” He set down the rest of his sandwich and stood. “I’m not very hungry anymore, but thanks.”

James watched Sirius leave with a frown. “Remus, you know going home is the last thing Sirius wants to do.”

“I think living with Regulus will be good for them both.”

“Then I’ll buy them a cottage in Ireland, but I can't let him go back to his mother’s house.”

“It isn’t just that,” Remus said. “Voldemort’s returning. Sibyl Trelawney issued a prophecy yesterday to Harry —”

“Merlin’s pants — Another prophecy?” James sank into the couch, expression and posture images of utter defeat. “Why?”

Remus ignored the “why” partially because he had no idea what the answer really was, and partially because he knew James was only whining. “Barty Crouch’s escape last night will aid Voldemort’s return. We’ll need to be ready. We’ll need to have a place the Ministry can’t touch.”

“You want Sirius and Regulus to turn their family home into a base for the Order. Did Dumbledore suggest that?”

“Dumbledore didn’t say nearly so much, but I have a feeling we’re going to need somewhere like last time very soon. And not only somewhere the Ministry won’t touch, but somewhere that won’t involve Harry.”

James ran his hand through his hair, shoving his bangs back. “I don’t want to keep lying to Harry. We’ll have to tell him soon. Maybe this summer....” James turned to stare out the window as a tawny brown owl approached the glass. It tapped its beak against the glass anxiously.

When Remus realized James was too lost in thought to even see it, he got up to let the owl in.

He’d expected it to be Lily writing to James, but instead the parchment was addressed to him.

He broke the seal and pulled out the letter. He was surprised to find a picture of a wolf inside, with the ink charmed to run in a circle, chasing its own tail, then pause to howl at a full moon. It repeated on a loop, and Remus was impressed with the spell work, though embarrassed by its content. He turned the picture over and read,

“Dear Professor Lupin,

We already miss you. You were the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher we ever had. I hope next year we get a vampire. We wish you the best.”

It was signed by several of his students in Gryffindor, and suddenly the charmed ink made sense. Dean Thomas was always very good at charming pictures. He had a promising career as a portrait-maker, if he wanted.

He looked over the signatures, unsurprised to see Harry’s in there, or Anne and Christian Thelborne’s, but there were other signatures he was surprised to see. Like Neville Longbottom and Ron Weasley. Fred, George, and Ginny had signed it as well as Hermione and Seamus and Lee and Oliver and at least half of his students in Gryffindor, as well as a few of his N.E.W.T. students in other houses. Not quite all, but nearly all. He was overwhelmed by the sentiment, and when James asked what was wrong, all he could do was pass the paper to him.

James laughed at the drawing. “That’s pretty funny. I bet it’ll cheer Sirius up, at least.” He looked up at Remus again. “You sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,” Remus said, though his voice sounded a little distant to him. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He went into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He didn’t drink it, though, not right away. He stood at the kitchen sink, leaning against the counter, unsure how to process the letter.

He hadn’t dreamed that his students had cared that much about him. This, as much as it made him want to stay, reminded him that he couldn’t. He could have hurt any one of these students last night, and he never would have been able to forgive himself.

The kitchen door opened and Remus prepared to compose himself for James, but it wasn’t James who walked in. It was Sirius, stomping mud off of his boots and carrying a box of butterbeers. He hadn’t noticed Remus yet.

“I’m sorry,” Remus started quietly, before Sirius could notice, and ask him what was wrong. “I shouldn’t have suggested your parents’ house. I know that’s not somewhere you ever want to go back to.”

Sirius looked up, all the rage strangely gone from his face. But Sirius’s moods changed from one to another in the time it took a Snitch to cross half of a Quidditch pitch. It was hard to know what really bothered Sirius and what would blow over in minutes.

“It’s alright,” Sirius said, but his voice was still a little hurt. “It makes sense, and I think Regulus will like that idea.”

“You can stay with me any time you like. If you need to get away, or take a break from your brother, you can just visit me.”

“Where will you stay? You don’t have a place to live either. I know you won’t stay here, not so close to the school.”

In the way that Remus knew offering Sirius the idea of Grimmauld Place had been a mistake, Sirius knew that Remus would never stay another night in Hogsmeade.

“I’ll find a new flat, I guess. Something I can afford. I’ve saved up a bit this year.”

“Let’s make a deal,” Sirius said. “You stay three nights a week at Grimmauld Place. That’ll make the mausoleum more bearable.”

“What’s the point in paying for my own flat if I’m not there half the time?”

“Then spend the other four with James and Lily. They won’t mind. Harry would love to have you around more often.”

Remus considered it. They could use Sirius’s house for the full moon. Regulus and Sirius could both turn into animals and wouldn’t be bothered by him at all. He imagined Sirius relished the idea of having a werewolf sleeping in his mother’s house. If that was what made it bearable to return home, Remus would give it to him.

“Alright, fine. Three nights with you, and four with James and Lily. If James and Lily don’t mind.”

Sirius laughed, because they both knew James and Lily wouldn’t hesitate to offer their home to Remus.

Remus took a sip of his water and started back towards the living room. Sirius wasn’t far behind. They sat down together and James brought out a game of Exploding Snap. Sirius opened up three bottles of butterbeer for them, and Remus thought it was almost like when they were kids, when Remus had hours to himself in the hospital wing and his friends would come by to entertain him. They were short one member of that party now. One member who had nearly killed James, Lily, and Harry, but in the end, and saved them all.

He glanced at his letter on the table and thought about how lucky he was, to have people who cared so much for him. He’d never have a way to repay them for everything they’d done for him. And there was a strange comfort in knowing they would never ask him to.

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Regulus,

If I remember anything about growing up with you, I think I know that a life on the run won’t suit you, and that you’d much prefer a warm fireplace and somewhere you can stay well-groomed.

You know I own all titles to our family fortune and property. Or, owned, at least, the fortune part. There’s no more money. But I do still have the property you signed over to me. Thought about selling it a lot, but never could manage to wish that pit of hell on anyone else, for any amount of money, so it’s still in my name after all this time.

I’ll be waiting there for you, if you want somewhere to stay, somewhere the Ministry has traditionally held no jurisdiction.

See you soon.

Sirius

—————————— ✶✶✶——————————

Dear Ronald,

I’m sorry about all the trouble I caused between you and your sister. I know fighting between siblings can be bad enough without pets causing additional strife.

I did, however, enjoy being a cat in your Common Room. Especially all the extra ham. Seeing how I’ve cost you and your sister a pet, I’ve enclosed a few sickles for you to get Ginny her own cat. And for you, Ron, this owl is quite an energetic little thing that needs a good, caring owner. I think you’ll suit him well.

I hope you all have an excellent summer.

Sincerely, Regulus Black

#harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban #hp everyone lives #harry potter everyone lives au #hp fic #poa

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